The Effect of Musical Intervention Vs Standard Treatment on Reducing Agitation Over a Twelve-Day Period

Approximately 7.7% of patients with dementia in Long-Term Care (LTC) who are agitated are prescribed psychotropics medications, which can lead to well-known adverse effects. Music intervention can be used to help improve health and alleviate agitated behavior in older patients with dementia, and there is a vast amount of literature demonstrating a beneficial effect. However, many limitations exist in the methods and outcomes. Most investigators recommend that more research is necessary, and no clinical guidelines exist.