Sounds in time: effects of a caregiver-led music programme on cognitive ability, mobility and quality of life in residential care settings

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dc.contributor.advisorMcMullan, Eva
dc.contributor.advisorKhalil, Alexander
dc.contributor.authorKelly, Fionaen
dc.date.accessioned2026-09-24T09:25:59Z
dc.date.available2026-09-24T09:25:59Z
dc.date.issued2026-06-19
dc.date.submitted2026-06-19
dc.description.abstractOlder adults living in residential care settings require person-centred care that promotes their health and wellbeing and contributes to their quality of life. This is a growing demographic that typically have greater healthcare needs than younger people. Thus, it necessitates initiatives to expand and improve services provided by staff that support the physical, psychological, cognitive and social wellbeing of residents. Staff within residential care settings experience challenges in providing activities that support these objectives, with a lack of time, resources, support and training cited as barriers. Previous studies have suggested that music-based activities could positively impact the cognitive ability, mobility, and quality of life in older adults. Concurrently, an increasing interest in training caregiving staff to use music in their care has been documented in the literature, contributing to both resident health and wellbeing and social relationships in this environment. However, there has not yet been a comparison made between caregiver-led music programme models and those led by external music facilitators. Thus, this study aimed to assess the impact of an eighteen-week music programme on the cognitive ability, mobility, and quality of life of participants. It also compared caregiver-led and external musician-led facilitation and explored the role of session frequency in this context. The study used an experimental, mixed-method design, with three distinct participant groups undergoing varying programme conditions, and one control group. It employed pre-and-post programme cognitive ability, mobility, and quality of life assessments. Participating caregivers and residents completed pre-and-post programme questionnaires exploring their experiences of the programme. Caregivers were also given observation sheets to complete after sessions, and a follow-up focus group with staff members was conducted ten months post-programme. Qualitative data collected indicated that participants perceived the programme as an enjoyable creative activity, contributing to wellbeing and social experiences. Differences within the experiences of participants in caregiver-led and external musician-led sessions were identified, largely within social domains. The study experienced challenges within participant recruitment and retention in this environment. While some positive trends and moderate effect sizes were identified, the results from the cognitive, mobility, and quality of life assessments did not show significant differences before and after the programme. Twice per week was the preferred frequency of music sessions among resident participants but continued use of the music programme after the study ceased saw caregivers varying the frequency of sessions to suit participant needs and preferences. The programme also resulted in a continued interest and engagement in music activities across the residential care setting, with key considerations identified for implementing sustainable music-based activities. This project contributes to the evidence of the impact of music for older adults in residential care settings, with benefits and challenges for both external musician-led and caregiver-led programme models identified. Further studies with larger sample sizes may determine quantifiable impacts on health and wellbeing domains.en
dc.description.statusNot peer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationKelly, F. 2026. Sounds in time: effects of a caregiver-led music programme on cognitive ability, mobility and quality of life in residential care settings. MPhil Thesis, University College Cork.
dc.identifier.endpage227
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/19331
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity College Corken
dc.rights© 2026, Fiona Kelly.
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectMusic
dc.subjectHealth and wellbeing
dc.subjectOlder adults
dc.titleSounds in time: effects of a caregiver-led music programme on cognitive ability, mobility and quality of life in residential care settings
dc.typeMasters thesis (Research)en
dc.type.qualificationlevelMastersen
dc.type.qualificationnameMPhil - Master of Philosophyen
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