Individualised music for people living with dementia and the experiences and perceptions of residential aged care staff: A qualitative study

Objective To explore the experiences and perceptions of staff regarding the use of individualised music for people with dementia living in residential aged care. Methods A qualitative descriptive methodology was used. Methods included a focus group and face-to-face interviews, open-ended responses to a pre-post survey and relevant clinical notes about older participants' responses. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse data. Results There were four themes: (1) transcendental reminiscing, the calm, the joy and the elation; (2) optimism, excitement and the snowball effect; (3) pitching in for older person, it is not rocket science and the hurdles; and (4) music beyond the intervention. Conclusions Overall, the individualised music was a generally positive experience. While some older participants reported discomfort with the use of headphones, staff concerns related to care and accessibility of music equipment.