Music therapy intervention in community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment: A pilot study

The purpose of the pilot study was twofold, seeking to investigate both the feasibility and preliminary effects of a music therapy intervention on the global cognitive state (attention, immediate and delayed memory, and executive function) and gait parameters (gait velocity, cadence, and right and left stride length) in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Sixteen participants attended the one-hour music therapy sessions three times a week for 12 weeks. The intervention was feasible, achieving a retention rate of 84%. Significant effects were found in global cognitive state (p = .001), attention (p = .007), immediate memory (p < .001), delayed memory (p = .001), executive function (p = .002), gait velocity (p = .021), right stride length (p = .007), and left stride length (p = .014). These results suggest that music therapy intervention is a potentially innovative strategy for improving cognition and gait parameters in older adults with MCI.