Sing Out Loud: a Choral Singing Program for Persons Living with Dementia

Not Applicable

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Dementia; Nursing Homes Residents

• Registration Number: NCT06880237
• Lead Sponsor: National University of Singapore

Brief Summary

We intend to investigate whether a singing programme for nursing home residents living with dementia can reduce the mental and physiological effects of dementia. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does participating in the Sing Out Loud (SOL) singing intervention lead to an improvement in the physiological well-being (increase in oxytocin and reduction in cortisol levels) of persons living with dementia (PWDs) in nursing homes?

2. Will participation in the SOL singing intervention result in an improvement in PWDs' overall mood, temperament, and mental health (indicated by symptoms such as apathy, aggression, and depression).

Researchers will compare the singing group to the control group to see if they exhibit reduced levels of apathy, aggression, and depression, and whether their levels of oxytocin and cortisol (collected via salivary biomarkers) have increased and decreased, respectively.

Researchers will compare the SOL singing intervention with a waitlist control group to see if the SOL singing intervention increases the feelings of social connection, reduces stress, or improves the symptoms of dementia in nursing home residents.

Participants will be randomly assigned to a singing intervention or waitlist control group. The intervention involves an 8-week long singing programme with one practice session a week, culminating in an additional full dress rehearsal and private showcase performance for their family members at a concert venue.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2025-02
• Study First Submitted: 2025-03-11
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-03-11
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-11
• Study Start: 2025-03-12
• Study First Posted: 2025-03-17
• Last Update Posted: 2025-03-17
• Primary Completion: 2025-06
• Study Completion: 2025-07

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 56

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes from baseline in Oxytocin and Cortisol levels at 8 weeks	From the beginning of the intervention (session 1) on week 1, to the final practice session (session 8) on week 8	Oxytocin and Cortisol levels will be collected via saliva samples. Increases in level of Oxytocin is indicative of increased feelings of social connection, while increased level of Cortisol is indicative of higher levels of stress
Change from baseline in the severity and distress of neuropsychiatric symptoms at 8 weeks	From 2 weeks before session 1, up to the final practice session (session 8)	Neuropsychiatric symptoms will be collected via the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q), which measures delusions, hallucinations, agitation/aggression, depression/dysphoria, anxiety, elation/euphoria, apathy/indifference, disinhibition, irritability, motor disturbance, nightime behaviours, and appetite. Higher scores indicate increased levels of severity or distress related to the symptom in question.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Qualitative feedback	Within two weeks after the programme has ended	This will be collected via a focus group discussion with the nursing home's clinical staff (psychosocial team) to collect qualitative data on any observed changes in participants' mood, behaviour, temperament, or relationships between participants and staff. Additionally, they will also be asked about process factors (challenges in implementation, structure and delivery of the programme), satisfaction,

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

APEX Harmony Lodge; 🇸🇬 Singapore, Singapore