Addressing Depression in Older Chinese Residents with Cognitive Impairment in Care Facilities: The Effects of an Innovative Music-Based Intervention

This study examined the effects of the Musical Times Exercise (MTE) intervention in alleviating depression symptoms for cognitively imparied Chinese older adults at risk for depression.Using a single-blind randomized controlled trial design, forty-two older participants were randomly assigned to MTE or a control group. Outcomes included the Geriatric Depression Scale the Beijing version Montreal Cognitive Assessment and the Barthel Index. Compared to controls, the MTE groupshowed greater reduction in depressive symptoms (t = -4.725, p <.01) and more improvements in physical functioning (t = 4.288, p <.05), while cognitive changes were not significant. Future research with a larger sample size across care facilities are warranted.