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Effect of Music Therapy Versus Recreational Activities on Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Elderly Adults with DementiA: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial

To the Editor: Neuropsychiatric symptoms are commonly found in people with dementia and are a great burden for them and their caregivers. Generally, neuropsychiatric symptoms are treated using pharmacological approaches, but these are only moderately effective in persons with dementia, at the cost of major side effects. In recent years, more attention has been given to the effectiveness of nonpharmacological approaches in dementia care, such as music therapy. In music therapy, residents are actively engaged in music making and singing or listening to the music that the therapist plays or sings. Music therapy has been reported to be an effective intervention to reduce behavioral problems. The present study compared music therapy with recreational activities and failed to show a superior effect on agitation. The aim of this letter was to compare the effect on reduction of neuropsychiatric symptoms.