Nurse-Led Active Music Program in Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment

NCT07831850 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: UAL-MUSIC-COG-2026
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 11
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a structured, nurse-led active music program for older adults with cognitive impairment living in a long-term care facility. Participants took part in eight group music sessions delivered twice weekly over four consecutive weeks. The program included singing, rhythmic activities, seated movement, music-based reminiscence, cognitive stimulation, and social interaction. Feasibility and acceptability were the primary domains of interest. Cognitive function, depressive symptoms, active participation, sustained attention, and social interaction were also assessed as exploratory outcomes.

Conditions

Cognitive Impairment

Keywords

Older Adults; Long-Term Care; Nurse-Led Intervention; Active Music; Music-Based Intervention; Non-Pharmacological Intervention; Feasibility; Acceptability; Nursing; Person-Centered Care

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Participant Retention Rate

  Percentage of enrolled participants who completed the four-week intervention and the post-intervention assessment.

  Through completion of the 4-week intervention

• Attendance Rate

  Percentage of scheduled intervention sessions attended by participants who completed the program.

  Throughout the 4-week intervention

• Intervention Delivery

  Proportion of the eight planned intervention sessions successfully delivered as scheduled.

  Throughout the 4-week intervention

• Participant Satisfaction

  Overall satisfaction with the intervention assessed using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (completely dissatisfied) to 5 (completely satisfied), with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.

  Immediately after completion of the 4-week intervention

• Willingness to Participate Again

  Proportion of participants indicating willingness to participate in the active music program again.

  Immediately after completion of the 4-week intervention

Other Outcomes (5)

• Change in Cognitive Function Assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)

  Baseline and within 1 week after completion of the 4-week intervention

• Change in Depressive Symptoms Assessed by the GDS-15.

  Baseline and within 1 week after completion of the 4-week intervention

• Active Participation During Intervention Sessions

  During each of the 8 intervention sessions over 4 weeks

Study Arms (1)

Nurse-Led Active Music Program

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants received a structured, group-based active music program led by a registered nurse. The intervention consisted of eight sessions delivered twice weekly over four consecutive weeks, with each session lasting approximately 40 minutes. Activities included temporal orientation, breathing exercises, group singing, song recognition and completion, rhythmic and percussion activities, coordinated seated movements, autobiographical reminiscence, relaxation, and emotional expression.

Behavioral: Nurse-Led Active Music Program

Interventions

Nurse-Led Active Music Program BEHAVIORAL

Participants received a structured, group-based active music program led by a registered nurse. The program consisted of eight sessions delivered twice weekly over four consecutive weeks, with each session lasting approximately 40 minutes. Sessions included temporal orientation, breathing exercises, group singing, recognition and completion of familiar songs, call-and-response singing, body percussion, simple percussion instruments, coordinated seated movements, autobiographical reminiscence, relaxation, and emotional expression. The musical repertoire was selected according to participants' biographical and musical preferences.

Nurse-Led Active Music Program

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 70 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age 70 years or older.
• Permanent residence in the long-term care facility for at least one month.
• Documented clinical diagnosis or screening result consistent with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment.
• Sufficient motor capacity to participate in seated group activities.
• Adequate or corrected hearing ability to understand verbal instructions and participate in the musical activities.
• Written informed consent from the participant or, when applicable, from a family member or legal representative.

You may not qualify if:

• Severe uncorrected hearing impairment.
• Unstable medical condition, decompensated disease, or terminal illness that could compromise safe participation.
• Severe uncontrolled neuropsychiatric symptoms, including delusions, hallucinations, or marked agitation.
• Refusal to participate.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidad de Almeria: lead

Study Sites (1)

Virgen del Rosario Long-Term Care Residence

Roquetas de Mar, Almería, 04740, Spain

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Cognitive Dysfunction

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Cognition Disorders; Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Agustíin J Simonelli Muñoz, PhD

  Universidad de Almeria

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor, Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine

Model Details: Single-group quasi-experimental pre-post pilot study. All participants received the same nurse-led active music intervention.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 15, 2026
• First Posted: September 21, 2026
• Study Start: January 19, 2026
• Primary Completion: February 27, 2026
• Study Completion: February 27, 2026
• Last Updated: September 21, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Time Frame: Beginning after publication of the study results. Availability will be considered upon reasonable request, subject to ethical and data protection requirements.
• Access Criteria: De-identified individual participant data may be made available to qualified researchers upon reasonable request to the corresponding author. Requests should include a scientifically sound proposal and will be evaluated considering the study purpose, participant confidentiality, ethical requirements, and applicable data protection regulations.

Locations

ES (1)