Objective: To explore the experiences and perceptions of staff regarding the use of individualised music for people with dementia living in residential aged care.
Methods: A qualitative descriptive methodology was used. Methods included a focus group and face-to-face interviews, open-ended responses to a pre-post survey and relevant clinical notes about older participants' responses. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse data.
Results: There were four themes: (1) transcendental reminiscing, the calm, the joy and the elation; (2) optimism, excitement and the snowball effect; (3) pitching in for older person, it is not rocket science and the hurdles; and (4) music beyond the intervention.
Conclusions: Overall, the individualised music was a generally positive experience. While some older participants reported discomfort with the use of headphones, staff concerns related to care and accessibility of music equipment.
Keywords: dementia; frail older adults; music therapy; qualitative research; residential facilities.
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