EFFECTIVENESS OF MULTI-SENSORY INTERVENTION(MSI) ON AGITATION AMONG OLDER ADULTS WITH DEMENTIA

Dementia is a clinical syndrome with a number of different causes which is characterized by deteroriation in cognitive, behavioral, social and emotional functions (van der Steen, J. T., van Soest-Poortvliet, M. C., van der Wouden, J. C., Bruinsma, M. S., Scholten, R. J., & Vink, A. C. (2017). Agitation in persons with dementia is a major indication of discomfort and it is a source of stress for family members and for formal caregivers(Cohen-Mansfield, J., & Libin, A. (2004). To mitigate agitated and aggressive behaviors associated with dementia, many healthcare practitioners have prescribed pharmacological measures, such as anti-psychotic and benzodiazpine medications. These drugs have been found to be of limited effectiveness and have adverse side effects (Rados, R., Kim, J., Kono, S., & Horton, J. (2021). ).  Music or auditory intervention promotes overall wellness not only mentally but also physically. Stress which is a mental state can be managed with music intervention as well as physical pain being alleviated. However it is also found music or auditory intervention helps address cognitive and behavioral issues (Trainor H. (2019). Nature is an important part of the human experience and is associated with psychological healing properties, such as a sense of renewal. Nature-based activities, such as walking in nature, participating in horticulture, as well as viewing simulated nature (e.g., video or photographs), have appeared to improve the mood and reduce agitation for residents with dementia receiving long-term care. (Rados, R., Kim, J., Kono, S., & Horton, J. (2021). ‘Little empirical research has been done on which combinations of musical sounds and aesthetic natural image. However, given the positive impact of both music and nature-based activities for individuals with dementia, several studies have attempted to combine these two modalities to create a combined effect, which is the approach we took in the current study. (Rados, R., Kim, J., Kono, S., & Horton, J. (2021).