NCT04645017

Assessing an Intergenerational Music Program Delivered by Adolescents to Older Adults With Declining Cognition

Completed NA Last updated 5 August 2022

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Intergenerational Music Program in Dementia Alzheimers in 22 participants. Completed in 1 June 2022.

Timeline

4 January 2021

Primary endpoint
1 June 2022

1 June 2022

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	University of Pittsburgh
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	na
Design	single group
Masking	none
Primary purpose	other
Enrollment	22
Start date	4 January 2021
Primary completion	1 June 2022
Estimated completion	1 June 2022
Sites	1 location across United States

Drugs / interventions tested

• Intergenerational Music Program

Conditions studied

• Dementia Alzheimers — all drugs for Dementia Alzheimers →

Sponsor

University of Pittsburgh

Who can join

65 and older, any sex, with Dementia Alzheimers. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Intergenerational music programming has been shown to benefit both young people and older adults in terms of quality of life, social connection, and promotion of positive cross-age attitudes. During a time that older adults are facing increasing social isolation, a need exists to offer meaningful programming that can reach older adults living with memory loss. The investigators want to assess if an intergenerational music program that is delivered by adolescent music facilitators is feasible and appropriate to both the young musicians and the older adult participants. This program will be designed on Zoom but will able to be delivered in the same manner in-person, offering it flexibility to reach a variety of participants. This program is unique in that it brings together two populations who have shown to be positively affected by engaging in music - adolescents and older adults with memory loss. As a result of this work, teenage musicians will be empowered to adapt and share a music program utilizing best research practices and create new connections with an older generation. Older adults will receive a research-informed music program that will be geared to helping their musical understanding and participation, as well as an opportunity to create new connections with a younger generation. Findings from this work will generate a music program with clearly defined ingredients that can be delivered and is accepted by both its facilitators and participants, providing a foundation for future studies to assess outcomes such as social connection, cognitive benefits, and emotional well-being.

This program will be built carefully utilizing stakeholder engagement from the adolescent facilitators and older adult participants. Specifically, for Aim 1 the investigators will explore the feasibility of the music program by its facilitators by conducting in-depth interviews with a sample of adolescent facilitators before, during, and after they administer the music intervention to discuss how best to adapt the program, as well as collecting observations of the older adults to confirm engagement in the program. For Aim 2 the investigators will assess its fidelity as the adolescent facilitators implement the program and are assessed for adherence and competence. For Aim 3, the investigators will assess its appropriateness, as adolescent facilitators and older adults will engage in focus groups.

Publications & conference data

3 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Feasibility of adolescent musicians in delivering Project Unmute, a virtual, intergenerational active music-based intervention for older adults with Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
   Dorris JL, Terhorst L, Raina K, Neely S, et al · · 2024 · cited 3× · PMID 39464872
2. Assessing the Acceptability and Potential Emotional Well-being Outcomes of a Digital, Intergenerational Music Program for Older Adults Living With Dementia.
   Dorris JL, Raina K, Neely S, Rodakowski J. · · 2025 · PMID 40799215 · DOI 10.1080/15350770.2024.2342905
3. A Qualitative Pilot Study of Adolescents' Characteristics and Experiences Delivering a Digital, Intergenerational Music Program to Older Adults with Alzheimer's and Dementia.
   Dorris JL, Rodakowski J, Terhorst L, Neely S, et al · · 2025 · PMID 40416948 · DOI 10.1080/15350770.2024.2309489