Individualized Passive Music Listening (IPML) for People With Moderate to Severe Dementia Living in Long‐Term Care Facilities: Effects on Communication, and Why We Should Care
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: All types of dementia present with some form of communication impairment, due to a combination of linguistic and extralinguistic deficits. Whereas intervention strategies have been developed to address communication for individuals in the mild-moderate stages, fewer options exist for adults with moderate to severe dementia. Non-invasive and simple strategies that can be implemented by both formal and informal caregivers or rehabilitation staff, such as music-based interventions, can be leveraged to address communication concerns across the dementia trajectory. Individualized passive music listening (IPML) has been shown to have beneficial effects for adults with dementia with the additional advantages of affordability and relative ease of use. Most dementia-focused investigations of IPML, however, have explored the utility of IPML in the context of reducing problem behaviors (e.g., agitation) to the exclusion of measuring the full spectrum of possible benefits, including communication. AIMS: In this exploratory study, we examined the potential of volunteer-implemented IPML to increase functional communication in the form of discourse productivity and informativeness for adults with dementia. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A single-subject-across subjects, alternating treatment design (IPML vs. standard care) was utilized for three individuals diagnosed with moderate to severe dementia and residing in a long-term care facility. IPML was implemented for study participants by two trained volunteers, with a conversational discourse probe administered prior to and immediately following each session, for each condition, as the primary outcome variable. Discourse length and informativeness were examined in terms of level and overlap of data across conditions. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Small but positive effects of IPML on conversational discourse were found for all participants, with an intervention effect consistently demonstrated for two of the three participants (moderate and moderate-severe dementia). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: These preliminary findings support further testing of IPML as a potentially cost-effective way to supplement other types of interventions designed to maximize functional communication for individuals with moderate to severe dementia residing in long-term care settings. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject Individualized Passive Music Listening (IPML), which can be implemented by both formal and informal caregivers, has been recommended as an effective non-pharmacological approach for improving quality of life in individuals with dementia, particularly by decreasing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). However, fewer studies have explored the ability of IPML to impact positive behaviors (e.g., engagement, socialization), and no studies have directly measured the immediate impact of IPML on functional communication. What this study adds to the existing knowledge IPML was found to have small but positive effects on functional communication (discourse amount and informativeness) for individuals with moderate to severe dementia as measured immediately following intervention. These preliminary results support the need for continuing to investigate the full spectrum of positive effects following passive music listening interventions, particularly for individuals living with moderate to severe dementia for whom fewer options to address communication have been explored. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this study? Music interventions, particularly IPML, are non-invasive, simple strategies that can be leveraged to support the cognitive processes underlying language and communication. SLPs are encouraged to collaborate with other members of the care team to design environments that capitalize on these effects for adults with dementia, particularly those within residential care settings.
Language: English
Topic: Music Therapy and Health
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,250
OpenAlex ID: W7119528246