Table 1.
Full results.
| Author (Year) Country | Intervention(s) (Length) | Context (Facilitator) | Sample size | Diagnosis (Stage) | Participant age (mean) | Quality (D&B) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCTs | ||||||
| Pongan et al. (2019) France | Group singing Group painting (12 weeks: 2 hr p/w) |
Memory clinics (Choir conductor and psychologist) | n = 59 (20 male, 39 female) | Probable AD (mild) | Singing = 78.8 Painting = 80.2 |
74% |
| Cho (2018) USA | Group singing Group music listening Watching television (4 weeks: 2 × 40 min p/w) |
LTCF (Music therapist) | n = 52 (43 male, 9 female) | Not reported Stage: Varied | Singing group = 85.06 Listening group = 87.94 TV control group = 87.00 |
92% |
| Lyu et al. (2018) China | Group singing Group lyric reading Standard care (3 months: 2 × daily 30–40 min sessions) |
Centre for cognitive disorders (Unclear, described as “musicians” and “therapist”) | n = 288 (118 male, 170 female) | Probable AD (mild-severe) | Singing group = 68.9 Lyric reading group = 70.3 Control = 69.9 |
85% |
| Wang et al. (2018) China | 1:1 Singing standard care (3 months: 30–50 mins 3 × per day) |
Hospital (unspecified therapist) | n = 60 (22 male, 38 female) | AD (mild) | Singing group: 70.4 Control: 69.1 |
66% |
| Pongan et al. (2017) France | Group singing Group painting (12 weeks: 2 h p/w) |
Memory clinics (Choir conductor and psychologist) | n = 59 (20 male, 39 female) | Probable AD (mild) | Singing = 78.8 Painting = 80.2 |
88% |
| Särkämö et al. (2016) Finland | Group singing Group music listening Standard care (10 weeks: 1.5 h p/w) |
Mixed of community-based (34%) and LTCF (66%) (Singing: Music teacher Listening: Music therapist) | PWD: n = 84 (24 male, 60 female) Family CP: n = 59 Nurses: n = 30 |
AD/VD/Other (mild) | Singing group = 78.5 Listening group = 79.4 Control = 78.4 |
74% |
| Särkämö et al. (2014) Finland | Group singing Group music listening Standard care (10 weeks: 1.5 hr p/w) |
Mixed of community-based (34%) and LTCF (66%) (Singing: Music Teacher Listening: Music Therapist) |
PWD: n = 84 (24 male, 60 female) Family CP: n = 59 Nurses: n = 30 |
AD/VD/Other (mild) | Singing group = 78.5 Listening group = 79.4 Control = 78.4 |
77% |
| McHugh et al. (2012) USA | Group singing Standard care (3 weeks: ~25 mins × 4 days p/w) |
LTCF (Music Therapist) | n = 15 (3 male, 12 female) | AD/Related dementia (moderate) | Singing group: 87.5 Control: 86.3 |
81% |
| Cooke et al. (2010a) Australia | Group singing Group reading (8 weeks: 3 × 40 min p/w) |
LTCF (Musician) | n = 47 (14 male, 33 female) | Not reported (moderate) | 65–100 years old (82.7% between 75 and 94) |
81% |
| Cooke et al. (2010b) Australia | Group singing Group reading (8 weeks: 3 × 40 min p/w) |
LTCF (Musician) | n = 47 (14 male, 33 female) | Not reported (moderate) | 65–100 years old (82.7% between 75 and 94) |
85% |
| Harrison et al. (2010) Australia | Group singing Group reading (8 weeks: 3 × 40 min p/w) |
LTCF (Musician) | n = 47 (14 male, 33 female) | Not reported (moderate) | 65–100 years old (82.7% between 75 and 94) |
77% |
| NCTs | ||||||
| Chen et al. (2019) China | Group singing (Chinese Opera) Standard care (12 weeks: 2 × 40 min p/w) |
LTCF (Musicians and Researchers) | n = 43 (11 male, 32 female) | Not reported (mild-moderate) | Singing group = 83 Control = 85 |
80% |
| Satoh et al. (2015) Japan | Group singing and at-home Karaoke Standard care (25 weeks:1 h p/w) |
Community based (Musicians) | n = 20 (6 male, 14 female) | Probable AD (mild-moderate) | Singing group = 78.1 Control = 77.0 |
64% |
| Takahashi and Matsushita (2006) Japan | Group singing Standard care (2 years: 1 h p/w) |
LTCF (Music Therapists) | n = 43 (10 male, 33 female) | CD, VD, AD, Parkinson's Type (moderate-severe) | Singing: 82.7 Non-random control: 84.9 |
68% |
| Quasi-experimental designs | ||||||
| Maguire (2021) USA | 1:1 Singing (5 weeks: 40–50 min p/w) |
LTCF (Musicians) | n = 25 (female) | Not reported (not reported) | Not reported | 47% |
| Hiller (2020) USA | Group singing (4 weeks: 3 × approx. 30 min per fortnight) |
LTCF (Music therapist) | n = 28 (7 male, 21 female) | AD and Related dementias (mild-severe) | Range: 63–99 | 73% |
| Fraile et al. (2019) France | 1:1 Singing (5 weeks: 2 × 20 min p/w) | Mix of LTCF and Community-based (Speech Pathology Students) | n = 12 (5 male, 7 female) | AD (mild-moderate) | 83.83 | 68% |
| de la Rubia Orti et al. (2018) Spain | Group singing (unclear—appears to be single-session) |
LTCF (Music therapist) | n = 25 (22.73% male, 77.27% female) | AD (mild) | 78.38 | 78% |
| Moussard et al. (2014) Canada | 1:1 Singing 1:1 Poetry (6 weeks: 45 min p/w) |
Community based (unclear) | n = 15 (6 male, 9 female) | AD (mild) |
77.8 | 57% |
| Lesta and Petocz (2006) Australia | Group singing (4 days: 30 min per session) |
LTCF (Music therapist) | n = 4 (female) | Not reported (moderate) | 91.25 | 70% |
| Groene et al. (1998) USA | Group singing Group exercise (3 weeks: 13–16 sessions in total, 20–45 min per session) |
Community-based (Music therapist/Occupational therapist) | n = 7 (1 male, 6 female) | AD (moderate-severe) | 85.3 | 47% |
| Korb (1997) USA | Group singing Group rhythm Group discussion 12 weeks (2 × 30 min p/w; 8 sessions per intervention in total) |
Community-based (Music therapist) | n = 9 (male) | Dementia or AD (not reported) | Not reported | 60% |
| Hanson et al. (1996) USA | Group singing Group rhythm Group movement (12 weeks: 2 × 30 min p/w) |
Mix of LTCF, Community-based and hospital (Music therapist) | n = 51 (10 male, 41 female) | AD and Related dementias (mild-severe) | 82 | 78% |
| Prickett and Moore (1991) USA | 1:1 Singing 1:1 Speaking (3 weeks: 20 min p/w) |
Hospital (Recreational therapist) | n = 10 (4 male, 6 female) | Probable AD (not reported) | 75 | 57% |
| Clair and Bernstein (1990) USA | 1:1 Singing 1:1 Drumming (14 weeks: 10 min p/w) |
LTCF (Music therapist) | n = 6 (male) | AD (severe) | Range 62–73 | 57% |
| Olderog Millard and Smith (1989) USA | Group singing Group discussion (5 weeks: 2 × 30 min p/w) |
LTCF (unclear) | n = 10 (3 male, 7 female) | AD, OBS (moderate) | 81.4 | 57% |
| Mittelman and Papayannopoulou (2018) USA | Group singing (12 weeks: 2 h p/w) |
Community-based (Musician, with input from Music therapist) | PWD: n = 11 (7 male, 4 female) CP: n = 11 (5 male, 6 female) |
Not Reported (not reported) | PWD = 79.4 CP = 71.7 |
41% |
| Tamplin et al. (2018) Australia | Group singing (20 weeks: 2 h p/w) |
Community-based (Music therapists) | PWD: n = 9 (4 male, 5 female) CP: n = 9 (4 male, 6 female) |
Not reported (mild-moderate) | PWD = 77.9 CP = 73.0 |
64% |
| Davidson and Almeida (2014) Australia | Group singing (6 weeks: 2 r p/w) |
Mix of LTCF and Community-based (Musician) | N = 12 (6 PWD, 6 CP) | Not reported (mild-moderate) | PWD = 79.50 CP = 69.67 |
41% |
| Camic et al. (2011) UK | Group singing (10 weeks: 90 min p/w) |
Community-based (Musician) | PWD: n = 10 (5 male, 5 female) CP: n = 10 (4 male, 6 female) |
AD, VD, Mixed Dementia, MCI (mild-severe) | PWD = 75 CP = not reported |
70% |
| Davidson and Fedele (2011) Australia | Group singing (6 weeks: 2 h p/w) |
Mix of LTCF and Community-based (Musician) | PWD: n = 27 (9 male, 18 female) CP: n = 19 (4 male, 15 female) |
Not reported (mild-moderate) | PWD = 82.67 CP = 57.91 |
41% |
| Qualitative studies | ||||||
| Author (Year) Country | Intervention (Length) | Context (Facilitator) | Sample size | Diagnosis (Stage) | Participant age (mean) | Quality (CASP) |
| Lee S. et al. (2020) Ireland | Group singing (6 weeks: 1 h p/w) |
Community-based (Music therapist) | PWD: n = 3 (male) CP: n = 4 (1 male, 3 female) |
Not reported (mild) | PWD: Range = 70–89 CP: Range = 30–79 |
100% |
| Clark et al. (2018) Australia | Group singing (20 weeks: 2 h p/w) |
Community-based (Music therapists) | PWD: n = 10 (5 male, 5 female) CP: n = 10 (4 male, 6 female) |
Not reported (mild-moderate) | PWD = 79.1 CP = 75.7 |
90% |
| Harris and Caporella (2018) USA | Group singing (8 weeks: 90 min. p/w, plus performance) |
Community-based (Musicians) | PWD: n = 6 (3 male, 3 female) CP: n = 7 (3 male, 4 female) College students: n = 13 (all female) |
AD, MCI (mild) | PWD = 72 CP = 65 Students = 20.5 |
60% |
| Osman et al. (2016) UK | Group singing (unclear, participants attended minimum of 2 sessions) |
Community-based (Musicians) | PWD: n = 10 (5 male, 5 female) CP: n = 10 (2 male, 8 female) |
Not reported (not reported) | Not reported | 65% |
| Unadkat et al. (2016) UK | Group singing (unclear, range of different groups and lengths included) |
Community-based (Musicians) | PWD: n = 17 (9 male, 8 female) CP: n = 17 (8 male, 9 female) |
AD, VD, Mixed Dementia, FTD, Cadasil, Unspecified (mild-severe) | PWD = 72.2 CP = 70.3 |
95% |
| McCabe et al. (2015) UK | Group opera program (~1 year) |
Community-based (Musicians) | Not specified | Not reported (not reported) | Not reported | 75% |
| Dassa and Amir (2014) Israel | Group singing (1 month: 2 × 45 min. p/w) |
LTCF (Music therapist) | PWD: n = 6 (2 male, 4 female) | AD (moderate-severe) | 78.5 | 80% |
| Harris and Caporella (2014) USA | Group singing (10 weeks: 90 min. p/w, plus performance) |
Community-based (Musicians) | PWD: n = 22 (9 male, 13 female) CP: n = 21 (7 male, 14 female) |
AD, MCI, PPA, LB (mild) | PWD = 72.5 CP = 72.3 Students = 19.8 |
80% |
| Hara (2011) UK |
Group singing (2 years, weekly) |
Community-based (Musicians) | Not specified (due to nature of ethnographic design) | Not reported (moderate-severe) | unclear (participants in case example described as in their 70 and 80s) | 60% |
RCT, Randomised Control Trial; NCT, Non-Randomised Control Trial; LTCF, Long Term Care Facility; PWD, people with dementia; CP, care partners; AD, Alzheimer's disease; VD, Vascular Dementia; CD, Cerebrovascular Dementia; MCI, Mild Cognitive Impairment; PPA, Primary Progressive Aphasia, LB, Dementia with Lewy Bodies; FTD, Fronto-Temporal Dementia; TV, Television.