Middlesex University researchers are to study the impact of music therapy on elderly people who live in care homes and are suffering from cognitive decline.
The MusiCare project involves 200 people aged 65 and over who live independently or in Methodist Home Association (MHA) care homes.
During the three-year study starting early next year, Middlesex University’s Music Cognition Communication Lab (MCC Lab) will compare participants attending one-hour weekly improvisational music therapy in one-to-one versus small group sessions for four months.
Healthy residents aged 65 and over will take part in the first baseline study, and residents aged 65 and above with either mild or severe cognitive impairments will participate in the second study.
Before and after the study, MCC Lab researchers will use neuropsychological tests and biomarkers to assess residents’ general cognitive level, along with evaluations of the benefit of the music therapy sessions on the resident’s mood and behaviour.
The aim of the project is to show which type of music therapy - individual or group - is the most beneficial in function of the level of cognitive ability or impairment of the participants.
“With populations living longer it is likely that more people will experience cognitive decline for example, experiencing attention and memory difficulties,” said MCC Lab team leader and senior lecturer in psychology Dr Fabia Franco.
“It is therefore essential that researchers investigate how individuals can maintain good levels of cognitive function for longer and stave off impairment,” she added.
MCC Lab obtained a grant of £299,957 from the Dunhill Medical Trust for the project following seed funding for preliminary work from MHA and the Society for Education and Music Psychology Research.
