A pilot study of an intergenerational program for people in residential aged care with cognitive impairment and children from a co-located early learning centre during COVID-19

Intergenerational programs in residential aged care may improve well-being and combat loneliness and social isolation in older people with cognitive impairment. This pilot study investigated the effects of a semi-structured intergenerational group, including children from a co-located early learning centre and people living in residential aged care with cognitive impairment. This 9-week study used a mixed methods pre- and post-program design. Sessions were designed and delivered once per week by Occupational Therapists and took into account residents' interests and children's developmental needs and interests, identified in pre-program interviews. Nine older people with cognitive impairment and 13 children participated. The program was well attended despite disruptions and complications caused by COVID-19 and weather conditions. Older people valued the opportunity to engage with the children. Children were observed to gain confidence in communicating and forming friendships with older people with different levels of ability. There did not appear to be any change in loneliness or neuropsychiatric symptoms. The intergenerational program benefited participants and received strong support from family members and staff of the early learning centre and aged care home.

A person-centered framework for designing music-based therapeutic studies in dementia: current barriers and a path forward

Objectives: Music-based interventions have received growing attention to improve quality of life for people diagnosed with dementia. Results of randomized controlled trials and meta-analytic reviews to date, however, reveal a lack of conclusive evidence for or against the effectiveness of such interventions. Herein, we critically review the basic assumptions and methodological issues ingrained in the cultures of research and care as they relate to evaluating music-based treatments for people with dementia, and propose a shift in the methodology by which music interventions are empirically evaluated.Method: We begin by reviewing existing barriers to achieving clarity on the effectiveness of music interventions, and we highlight methodological and sociocultural constraints that have limited our ability to reach concrete conclusions in research studies to-date. We then consider several key factors that have demonstrated relevance in matching people to specific music-based interventions. Based on these key factors, we developed a person-centered framework integrating elements from precision-medicine methodology to guide intervention studies.Results: Our organizing framework systematically integrates the following factors to inform the design of intervention studies: 1) person-centered goals and desired outcomes; 2) differences among individuals in clinical, cognitive, and historical attributes; and 3) the context of intervention and access to resources.Conclusion: Integration of the proposed framework into empirical investigations of music interventions for people living with dementia will inform precise and tailored interventions that will bring clarity to this growing body of research. Another aim of this framework is to foster a more humane, person-centered approach to our culture of care.