Empowering Dementia Caregivers with Music-Based Strategies (2026-2027)
Background
Older adults living with dementia often experience challenges such as memory loss, agitation, anxiety, apathy and sleep disturbances. As dementia progresses, individuals become increasingly dependent on caregivers, who frequently experience high levels of physical, emotional and financial strain. Caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease are at particularly high risk for anxiety and depression.
Non-pharmacological interventions are essential because they offer safe, practical strategies for reducing behavioral symptoms. Music-based interventions are uniquely promising: musical memory is often preserved even as other cognitive abilities decline, and research shows that music can help reduce agitation, improve mood and support daily routines. Although caregivers are increasingly aware of music’s potential benefits, they often lack clear, evidence-based guidance on how to use music therapeutically at home.
Project Description
This project team will build the foundation for a comprehensive, accessible set of music-based strategies that caregivers can use to support individuals living with dementia. The project includes three interconnected goals:
1. Identify existing resources
Team members will conduct a systematic review of music-based interventions by searching academic literature, websites and mobile app platforms. The review will catalog existing tools, interventions and applications aimed at improving behavioral symptoms, and will produce a typology summarizing features, target populations and outcomes.
2. Create a digital video library of music-based strategies
Students will work with an expert panel — including a music therapist, a nurse and caregivers — to script, film and produce short instructional videos that demonstrate practical, symptom-specific strategies. Videos will be indexed with metadata to support easy navigation and potential future digital integration.
3. Develop caregiver-focused educational materials
The team will design user-friendly resources such as tip sheets, guidelines and interactive content that explain how caregivers can incorporate music into everyday routines. These materials will be piloted with caregivers and disseminated through the Dementia Alliance of North Carolina and local caregiver networks.
The project will operate as an intact team with task forces organized around each goal. A graduate student project manager will coordinate timelines and deliverables across task forces, and weekly full-team meetings will ensure alignment and collaboration.
Anticipated Outputs
- Inventory and typology of existing music-based interventions
- Digital video library of symptom-specific music strategies
- Caregiver education materials (guidelines, tip sheets, multimedia content)
Student Opportunities
Ideally, this project team will include 1 graduate student and 2 undergraduate students. Students with backgrounds or interests in nursing, psychology and aging, musical arts or performing arts, music education, ethnomusicology, digital media production, health informatics, instructional or user experience design, and web design are encouraged to apply.
Students will develop skills in evidence synthesis, data extraction and systematic review. Those working on video development will gain experience in scripting, filming, editing and translating evidence-based practices into accessible multimedia resources. Students contributing to caregiver education materials will build strengths in health communication, plain-language writing and community engagement through collaboration with the Dementia Alliance of North Carolina.
The team anticipates opportunities for manuscript writing and conference presentation preparation. A graduate student project manager will be recruited to oversee coordination across task forces. An optional Summer 2026 component will introduce students to team workflows and begin the resource review.
In Fall 2026, the team will meet on Tuesdays from 2-3 p.m.
Timing
Summer 2026 – Spring 2027 (with optional Summer 2027)
Summer 2026 (optional):
- Conduct orientation sessions and training
- Assign roles
- Begin systematic literature, web and app review
Fall 2026:
- Conduct comprehensive review of music-based resources
- Develop typology of interventions
- Form task forces and assign graduate mentors
- Begin video content planning and scripting
Spring 2027:
- Synthesize findings from review
- Produce instructional videos
- Draft caregiver education materials
- Pilot-test videos with stakeholders
Summer 2027 (optional):
- Finalize video library and caregiver materials
- Prepare conference abstracts or manuscripts
- Launch dissemination of resources
Crediting
Academic credit available for fall and spring semesters