In-home Use of Personalized Music for Persons With Dementia

Although evidence is mounting that personalized music has beneficial effects for long-term care residents with dementia, little research has examined the effects of personalized music for the majority of persons with dementia living at home. These individuals live at home with care partners who may also benefit from having music that is personalized for their loved one. Using the Music & MemorySM program of personalized playlists delivered via iPod Shuffles®, the current study examined the effects of the Music & Memory program for persons with dementia by using the Bath Assessment of Subjective Quality of Life in Dementia scale and a Music Listening Experience Scale developed for this study. We also administered three scales that captured care partner experiences. Transcripts of the Bath Assessment of Subjective Quality of Life in Dementia administrations at the beginning of the study and 3 months later, plus interviews about the Music & Memory program, were then analyzed using the interpretive phenomenological analysis method. Themes about the Music & Memory program and life living with dementia for from diagnosed persons and their care partners are discussed