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Innov Aging
Innov Aging
innovateage
Innovation in Aging
2399-5300 Oxford University Press US 

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.3088
igaa057.3088
Abstracts
Session 7650 (Symposium)
AcademicSubjects/SOC02600
Group Music Intervention for Persons With Dementia in Assisted Living: A Pilot Study
Meng Hongdao 1 Bugos Jennifer 1 Dobbs Debra 1 Lee Soomi 1 Risal Punam 1 Veal Britney 2 Patterson William 3 1 
University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States
2 
University of South Florida, Winter Haven, Florida, United States
3 
Digital Media Innovations and eLearning Enterprises, Tampa, Florida, United States
2020 
16 12 2020 
16 12 2020 
4 Suppl 1 Program Abstracts from The GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting “Turning 75: Why Age Matters”842 842
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.2020This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Abstract
Dementia is the third leading diagnosis among US residents in assisted living communities (ALCs), and agitation is a major challenge for residents, families, and staff. While music interventions in nursing homes and the community have generated promising findings, little evidence of acceptability or efficacy data are available in ALCs. This pilot study tested the acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a staff-led group music intervention among ALC residents with dementia (n=19). We used a mixed-methods pre-post study design. The primary outcome measure was the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory-Short Form (CMAI-SF), and facilitator focus group interviews were conducted to gain additional insight into intervention acceptability and facilitators/barriers to implementation among activity staff. Seventeen (89.5%) participants completed the intervention with a 77% overall session attendance rate. Results suggest that the intervention is well-received by management, family, and activity staff, Implications for intervention design, efficacy testing, and contextual factors related to implementation will be discussed.