Tailored music listening intervention to reduce sleep disturbances in older adults with dementia: Research protocol.
Darina V Petrovsky, Nalaka S Gooneratne, Joke Bradt and 2 others
PMID 33136301WHAT IT FOUND
Caregivers will play tailored calming music for 30 minutes nightly for four weeks to older adults with dementia; the trial tests feasibility and sleep latency, not whether the music improves sleep.
Key findings
01The planned trial will randomize 60 home-dwelling older adults with ADRD and their caregivers to a 30-minute, 4-week nightly tailored music intervention or wait-list control.
02The primary sleep measure is sleep latency, and the study is not powered to determine efficacy of the music intervention.
03At writing, 33 dyads had been enrolled and randomized; two wait-list control dyads and one intervention dyad had not completed.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a protocol, not a completed trial, so it does not show whether music improves sleep. The study is designed for feasibility and acceptability and is not powered to determine efficacy. Participants and staff cannot be blinded to assignment, and caregivers may choose to withdraw after learning assignment, which can bias results. Sleep measures rely partly on caregiver reports and diaries, which can be affected by caregiver stress, mood, and difficulty observing separate bedrooms. The planned sample is 60 dyads, and completion may be lower because of caregiver strain, health decline, hospitalization, and device burden.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest are declared; the article is listed as NIH extramural and non-U.S. government supported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that tailored bedtime music improves sleep in dementia. This paper is a protocol and is not powered to determine efficacy; sleep outcomes are not reported.