A Qualitative Exploration of Choral Singing in Community-dwelling Older Adults.
Darina V Petrovsky, Justine S Sefcik, Pamela Z Cacchione
PMID 31256749WHAT IT FOUND
Nineteen older adults in PACE day centers described weekly choir as something they loved, bringing joyful time together and feeling uplifted when performing for others.
They noted few negatives, including too religious music and limited director availability.
Key findings
01The main theme was that choir gave older adults something to do that they loved, with subthemes of joyful time together and uplifting performances for others.
02Participants described choir as a joyful time together, with feeling good, getting a lift, tension release, and a positive change in attitude.
03A few negative aspects emerged, including sadness when members left, too religious music, limited repertoire, and limited director availability.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and came from three PACE centers in one part of the United States. Most participants were women, Black or African American, English speaking, and already attending choir regularly, so it does not speak to people who could not join, spoke another language, or had moderate or severe cognitive impairment. No choir directors were interviewed, so the study did not capture their view of what helped or hindered the choir. The study asked only about choir, not about other day center activities, so it cannot say whether singing was more meaningful than crafts, games, or other groups. It reports perceptions and themes, not measured changes in mood, memory, loneliness, falls, medication use, or other clinical outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The article is listed as supported by NIH and non-U.S. government sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that choir singing improves loneliness, mood, memory, or health. It reports perceptions from 19 regular choir members who could speak English and were not moderately or severely cognitively impaired, with no comparison group or measured outcomes.