Sandra Garrido

Evidence shows that music can be effective in reducing anxiety, agitation and depression, and improving quality of life in people living with dementia. It can therefore be used as part of behaviour support plans, a requirement in aged care in Australia following the recent Royal Commission. However, aged care staff often lack knowledge and skills to use music in this strategic way. Dr Garrido’s team previously co-designed an evidence-based online training for the use of music for behaviour support in aged care. The current study will evaluate the effectiveness of that training. Staff in two aged care facilities will undertake the training and be provided with equipment and support to implement personalised music playlists for residents in their care as part of behaviour support plans for those individuals over a 4-week period. Staff in two other facilities will complete the training after a wait period and serve as a control group. Pre- and post-study measures of resident mood, behaviour, medication use and quality of life will be taken, as well as pre and post measures of staff wellbeing, attitudes and approaches to caring for people with dementia. 

Data about changes to medication usage or staff time spent managing challenging behaviours will contribute to future cost-benefit analyses. The results will help to inform future implementation of the team’s research in aged care contexts, while providing further evidence to drive systemic change towards personalised care and increased use of non-drug treatments for supporting people experiencing changes in mood and behaviour due to dementia. 

Dr Sandra Garrido is a Senior Research Fellow in Brain Sciences at the MARCS Institute for Brain Behaviour & Development, Western Sydney University.