Music therapy review reports less agitation in older adults with dementia
A pooled analysis found lower agitation after music therapy, but the review combined randomized trials with before-and-after studies and did not describe follow-up duration or comparison care.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review reported a statistically significant reduction in agitation associated with music therapy in older adults with dementia. Its pooled result combines studies with different designs, so it cannot by itself explain how much benefit came from the intervention rather than other changes. The abstract also leaves the duration of any improvement unclear.
The abstract does not report a confidence interval, comparison conditions or follow-up timing. Music duration and genre varied, and the pooled analysis included nonrandomized before-and-after studies.
Different designs were pooled
The evidence included 10 randomized trials and 4 studies that assessed participants before and after treatment. The abstract gives a single pooled result, without separating the agitation effects of these study designs.
Consistency has limits
The authors reported low variation between study results and little indication of publication bias. Those findings describe the pooled research, but they do not establish which music approach or care setting would produce the same outcome.
The original publication
The impact of music therapy on agitation in elderly patients with dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Hu J, Xu L
Arch Gerontol Geriatr · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41046571
- Record checked
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