Music and Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: A Literature Review

Abstract Many residents of long-term care facilities have dementia, depression, and anxiety. Approximately two-thirds of these individuals exhibit clinically significant behavioral issues manifesting in the form of falls, accidents, elopement (wandering), and behavioral disturbance. Evidence suggests music enables persons with dementia to reconnect with past memories, thereby reducing agitation-associated negative behaviors. For older nursing home residents with dementia, music may provide a valid alternative to pharmacologic treatment. This literature review investigates the current research to determine the effect of music intervention vs music therapy as a nonpharmacologic means of reducing agitation associated behaviors in older nursing home residents with dementia.