abstract: Residents from four nursing homes were recruited for this study of the effects of three interventions upon agitated behaviour. A four-group, repeated measures experimental design was devised, and a modified version of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory was used to record the behavioural responses. The subjects were exposed to calming music (Pachelbel's Canon in D), hand massage (following a research-based protocol), a combination of the two, or no intervention (the control group). Each of the interventions reduced agitation more than the control, and this benefit was sustained. No additional benefit was shown from combining calming music with simultaneous hand massage.
authors.affiliation: Homerton College, Cambridge School of Health Studies.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Adams