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Researchers found that adding soothing and activating noises reduced resistance to care in a specialized dementia unit.
Hearing birdsong in the mornings and crickets or rain at night reduces resistance to care in people with dementia, a new study has found. The results suggest sound could be a non-pharmacological way to help them.
In the study, 28 patients in the Specialized Dementia Unit at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute in University Health Network were randomized to receive an augmented soundscape intervention in the mornings and evenings or treatment as usual. Noise has been shown to affect sleep, agitation and anxiety in people with dementia, the study notes, but there has been little research into interventions that might help mitigate that.
Dr. Iaboni shared more about the study and its importance:
Which patient groups are most affected by this? This study is focused on older adults with dementia and behavioural symptoms in a dementia care unit. It asks whether their symptoms can be improved by changing the soundscape to incorporate more natural sounds and cues.
What did your study find? When we adjusted the soundscape in patient rooms by playing activating sounds, such as birdsong in the morning, and relaxing sounds, such as rainfall in the evening, it reduced behavioural symptoms during personal care but not behavioural symptoms at other times of day.
Why are these results important? We know that the care environment is an important contributing factor to behaviours in dementia. Hospitals and care homes are often noisy places. No studies have previously examined whether improving the sound environment of institutions improves behavioural symptoms in people with dementia.
What is the potential impact of this research? This pilot study provides evidence that an augmented soundscape reduces behavioural symptoms during personal care. Our study partners in Belgium are now using these findings to improve their soundscape system for broader use in care homes and in a larger study.
Research Spotlight: Effect of Soundscape Augmentation
Affiliations: Associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto
