While research has investigated the impact of music-based interventions on management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), there is limited discussion of which music-based interventions are most effective for various levels of dementia severity, or of how to determine which music-based interventions are both accessible and feasible for caregivers and nursing staff. This review sought to identify the benefits of music-based interventions in dementia care within various domains of functioning and determine whether music-based interventions are effective for various levels of dementia severity. Peer-reviewed articles and studies that evaluated the effectiveness of various music interventions or demonstrated music's impact on cognitive, behavioral, psychological, or social functioning for individuals with various levels of dementia were examined in this review. Most studies reviewed demonstrated that music-based interventions might yield improvements in various aspects of cognitive, behavioral, psychological, and social functioning across all levels of dementia severities. Due to the heterogeneity of methods and limitations of study designs, research is unable to demonstrate a systematic approach to selecting music interventions based on dementia severity. However, current patterns in the literature support recommendations for caregivers and nursing staff in individualizing music-based interventions for individuals with dementia.
","abstract_html":"<p>While research has investigated the impact of music-based interventions on management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), there is limited discussion of which music-based interventions are most effective for various levels of dementia severity, or of how to determine which music-based interventions are both accessible and feasible for caregivers and nursing staff. This review sought to identify the benefits of music-based interventions in dementia care within various domains of functioning and determine whether music-based interventions are effective for various levels of dementia severity. Peer-reviewed articles and studies that evaluated the effectiveness of various music interventions or demonstrated music's impact on cognitive, behavioral, psychological, or social functioning for individuals with various levels of dementia were examined in this review. Most studies reviewed demonstrated that music-based interventions might yield improvements in various aspects of cognitive, behavioral, psychological, and social functioning across all levels of dementia severities. Due to the heterogeneity of methods and limitations of study designs, research is unable to demonstrate a systematic approach to selecting music interventions based on dementia severity. However, current patterns in the literature support recommendations for caregivers and nursing staff in individualizing music-based interventions for individuals with dementia.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Doerr, Adriana C"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Psy.D. Doctor of Clinical Psychology","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Clinical Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Kathie Bates, Ph.D.","Elizabeth Lane, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-08-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-08-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:28Z","subjects":["Dementia","music","older adults","dementia care","music therapy","Clinical Psychology","Geropsychology","Other Music"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/369","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Kathie Bates, Ph.D.","Elizabeth Lane, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Doerr, Adriana C"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2019-05-25T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Clinical Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Psy.D. Doctor of Clinical Psychology"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Dementia","music","older adults","dementia care","music therapy","Clinical Psychology","Geropsychology","Other Music"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/369"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["While research has investigated the impact of music-based interventions on management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), there is limited discussion of which music-based interventions are most effective for various levels of dementia severity, or of how to determine which music-based interventions are both accessible and feasible for caregivers and nursing staff. This review sought to identify the benefits of music-based interventions in dementia care within various domains of functioning and determine whether music-based interventions are effective for various levels of dementia severity. Peer-reviewed articles and studies that evaluated the effectiveness of various music interventions or demonstrated music's impact on cognitive, behavioral, psychological, or social functioning for individuals with various levels of dementia were examined in this review. Most studies reviewed demonstrated that music-based interventions might yield improvements in various aspects of cognitive, behavioral, psychological, and social functioning across all levels of dementia severities. Due to the heterogeneity of methods and limitations of study designs, research is unable to demonstrate a systematic approach to selecting music interventions based on dementia severity. However, current patterns in the literature support recommendations for caregivers and nursing staff in individualizing music-based interventions for individuals with dementia.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Utility of Music-based Interventions in Dementia Care"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Kathie Bates, Ph.D.","Elizabeth Lane, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["Doerr, Adriana C"],"dc:date.available":["2019-05-25T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["While research has investigated the impact of music-based interventions on management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), there is limited discussion of which music-based interventions are most effective for various levels of dementia severity, or of how to determine which music-based interventions are both accessible and feasible for caregivers and nursing staff. This review sought to identify the benefits of music-based interventions in dementia care within various domains of functioning and determine whether music-based interventions are effective for various levels of dementia severity. Peer-reviewed articles and studies that evaluated the effectiveness of various music interventions or demonstrated music's impact on cognitive, behavioral, psychological, or social functioning for individuals with various levels of dementia were examined in this review. Most studies reviewed demonstrated that music-based interventions might yield improvements in various aspects of cognitive, behavioral, psychological, and social functioning across all levels of dementia severities. Due to the heterogeneity of methods and limitations of study designs, research is unable to demonstrate a systematic approach to selecting music interventions based on dementia severity. However, current patterns in the literature support recommendations for caregivers and nursing staff in individualizing music-based interventions for individuals with dementia.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/369"],"dc:subject":["Dementia","music","older adults","dementia care","music therapy","Clinical Psychology","Geropsychology","Other Music"],"dc:title":["The Utility of Music-based Interventions in Dementia Care"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Clinical Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Psy.D. Doctor of Clinical Psychology"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:28Z"}