Dementia Care and the Arts
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Dementia Care and the Arts -- understanding the impact of a music intervention on patients with dementia in an acute hospital setting.
IRAS ID
131976
Contact name
David Walters
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Winchester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
The arts have been shown to be beneficial to those with dementia. The Alzheimer's Society Singing for the Brain and the Playlist for Life project offer compelling evidence of how music can reach individuals, allow their personality and history to be present, touch memories and experiences, re-connect people with their loved ones and improve quality of life for people with dementia. However, in acute hospital settings there has been little work done, barriers being a perception that the intervention would be too time consuming for staff or impractical in a busy ward environment. This project builds on an initial piece of work by Dr Marian Naidoo at Bath University which defined best practice with respect to a successful arts-based intervention in hospitals. This initial phase of the project showed that music on wards where dementia patients receive their care could contribute to reduced patient anxiety, reduced incidents of challenging behaviour and improvements in sleep and nutrition. These benefits helped to decrease staff workload. This "second phase" project will seek to confirm such initial findings, observing and describing the impact of a music project in which a single musician who will provide group and individual activity, including bedside music, on a ward in an acute hospital setting in Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The study will include action research with nursing staff to identify the components of a high quality arts intervention, as well as participant observation and interviews to examine the impact of the project on participants, carers and staff. Further assessment of costs and benefits arising from the intervention will be undertaken at two time points (prior to and during the music intervention) using ward level data -- length of stay, prescribing costs, food intake/plate waste, staff absence, mood assessment, patient anxiety, sleep patterns, falls and challenging behaviour incidents.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SC/0420
Date of REC Opinion
4 Sep 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion