Music Interventions for Dementia and Depression in ELderly care (MIDDEL)

MIDDEL is a multinational cluster-randomized controlled trial funded by the EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND). The study is led by NORCE in Norway. Other participating countries are Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom.

The aim of the project is to investigate the effectiveness of group music therapy and/or recreational choir singing compared with usual care for care home residents with dementia and depressive symptoms.

Care home units will be randomized to receive either one, two or no music interventions. In total (all countries) 1000 nursing care home residents with the following selection criteria will be recruited: 65 years or older, diagnosed with dementia, and at least mild depressive symptoms. The interventions will last over six months. The primary outcome (change in depressive symptoms after 6 months) and several secondary outcomes will be examined through clinical questionnaires. Furthermore, we will measure the effect of the interventions on stress using biological markers (cortisol).

The study will have adequate power to determine clinical effects, as well as differences in therapy effects between elderly people with different dementia diagnoses.

Visit the project website for updates and more information: https://middel-project.eu