Benefits of Personalised Music in Dementia - a Feasibility Study

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:
A care home meeting all of the following criteria will be eligible to join the feasibility studies:
* Is located in South East England;
* Has at least 5 residents who care home staff estimate to be eligible for the studies;
* Agrees to identify a suitable space for personalised music listening to be trialled;
* Agrees to make staff available to select residents and support the studies;
A resident meeting all of the following criteria will be eligible to participate in the feasibility studies:
* A permanent resident within a care home run by the Quantum Care Home Group;
* Has been assessed by suitably qualified/trained care home staff (or a medical professional) as having symptoms and signs of dementia (of any type).
* Has one or more family member/carer willing to participate in this study by providing sufficient responses to a questionnaire about the resident's musical preferences and background and feedback on the resident's responses to listening to personalised music.
* Has the ability to communicate in English; and
* For participants who are assessed as lacking mental capacity to consent to participation, has an attorney or Consultee willing to support their inclusion in the study.
An informal carer meeting all of the following criteria will be eligible to participate in the feasibility studies:
* People above the age of 18 who are a family member or friend and act as an informal carer for a participant with dementia.
* Has the ability to communicate in English.
A care home staff meeting the following criteria will be eligible to participate in the feasibility study:
* Health and social care staff, paid to provide care to individuals with dementia within participating care homes. This may include Managers, Registered Nursing staff, Care Assistants or Activity Coordinators.
* Has the ability to communicate in English.
Exclusion Criteria:
A care home meeting any of the following criteria will not be eligible to join the feasibility study if it is:
* Rated at the last Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection as Needs Improvement or Inadequate;
* Subject to CQC enforcement notices, admission bans or major CQC compliance issues;
* Currently, or has recently been involved in, another research study or trial that conflicts with personalised music or with data collection during the course of these studies.
A resident meeting any of the following criteria will not be eligible to participate in the feasibility studies:
* Assessed by care home staff or a medical professional as having severe depression;
* Assessed as being unable to hear music through headphones;
* Is so severely physically impaired as to make it unlikely that the researchers, carers or informal carers will be able to observe responses to personalised music through (for example, changes in facial expression, tapping of feet or fingers etc)
* Is currently, or has recently been involved in, another research study or trial that conflicts with personalised music listening or with data collection during the course of these studies;
* Is expected to die before the completion of their participation in the study.

The sponsor's own eligibility wording, lightly reformatted. The study team makes the final eligibility decision — worth discussing with your doctor.

Eligibility criteria as of 2025-10-01