Objectives
The objective of this study was to compare resident outcomes before and after implementation
of an individualized music program, MUSIC & MEMORY (M&M), designed to address the
behavioral and psychological symptoms associated with dementia (BPSD).
Setting
98 nursing homes trained in the M&M program during 2013 and 98 matched-pair comparisons.
Participants
Long-stay residents with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) residing
in M&M participating facilities (N = 12,905) and comparison facilities (N = 12,811)
during 2012–2013.
Intervention
M&M is a facility-level quality improvement program that provides residents with music
specific to their personal histories and preferences.
Measurements
Discontinuation of anxiolytic and antipsychotic medications, and reductions in behavioral
problems and depressed mood in 2012 (pre-intervention) and 2013 (intervention), calculated
using Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments.
Results
The proportion of residents who discontinued antipsychotic medication use over a 6-month
period increased from 17.6% to 20.1% among M&M facilities, while remaining stable
among comparison facilities (15.9% to 15.2%). The same trend was observed for anxiolytic
medications: Discontinuation of anxiolytics increased in M&M facilities (23.5% to
24.4%), while decreasing among comparison facilities (24.8% to 20.0%). M&M facilities
also demonstrated increased rates of reduction in behavioral problems (50.9% to 56.5%)
versus comparison facilities (55.8% to 55.9%). No differences were observed for depressed
mood.
Conclusions
These results offer the first evidence that the M&M individualized music program is
associated with reductions in antipsychotic medication use, anxiolytic medication
use, and BPSD symptoms among long-stay nursing home residents with ADRD.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 14, 2017
Accepted:
April 12,
2017
Received in revised form:
April 11,
2017
Received:
December 23,
2016
Footnotes
KST and RB contributed equally to this work.
Presented at the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, Boston, MA, June 2016.
Identification
Copyright
Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.
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