2024 Theses Doctoral
The Effects of Choral and Music Therapy Interventions in Choruses for People with Alzheimer’s Disease and Their Care-Partners
Over the past 13 years, I and the other co-leader of the Unforgettables Chorus have observed how direct participation in a chorus designed for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a type of dementia, and their caregivers has shown improvement in mood and wellbeing for these participants. The conductors have witnessed remarkable changes in choir participants, but thus far, evidence for the effects of this program has been mostly anecdotal. Previous literature suggests that improved mood is associated with better health outcomes and that music can positively impact quality of life and wellbeing among individuals, including people with dementia.
In this mixed-methods study, the primary researcher has conducted qualitative interviews with 10 caregivers of individuals with AD and utilized a validated psychometric tool, the Visual Analog Mood Scale (VAMS), within a study choir of 28 individuals with AD and their caregivers to investigate changes in the context of six choir rehearsals. Qualitative interviews identified several themes, including restoring personal identity, connecting with others in the choir and in the community, “musical carryovers” outside the choir program, benefits conferred by warm-ups and vocal exercises, and positive mood-related and emotional experiences.
In a statistical comparison of VAMS scores before and after choir rehearsals, there was a statistically significant change in mood over the course of a choir session (p < 0.001), and the mood scores of all 28 individuals increased at every session. Based on the results of the qualitative interviews and quantitative test results, there is evidence to suggest that this type of choir program is beneficial for the mood and overall wellbeing of individuals with mild to moderate AD and their caregivers.
This study demonstrates the clear value of this choral ensemble for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers. These findings can be used to guide the establishment of similar groups across the world. Future studies in this area could focus on incorporating larger sample sizes and biometric data to complement the results of qualitative analyses.
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More About This Work
- Academic Units
- Arts and Humanities
- Thesis Advisors
- Custodero, Lori
- Degree
- Ed.D., Teachers College, Columbia University
- Published Here
- October 23, 2024