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. 2021 Jun 8;11(2):151-158.
doi: 10.1159/000516804. eCollection 2021 May-Aug.

Effects of the Sonas Program on Anxiety and Depression in Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: A 6-Month Randomized Controlled Trial

Alka R Goyal  1 , Knut Engedal  2   3 , Jūratė Šaltytė Benth  4   5 , Benedicte Sørensen Strøm  6
Affiliations

Effects of the Sonas Program on Anxiety and Depression in Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: A 6-Month Randomized Controlled Trial

Alka R Goyal et al. Dement Geriatr Cogn Dis Extra. .

Abstract

Introduction: There is a dearth of evidence about the effects of Sonas, a multisensory stimulation on people with dementia (PWD). The main aim of this study was to examine the effects of the Sonas program on anxiety and depression in nursing home (NH) residents with dementia.

Methods: In all, 120 PWD ≥65 years of age from 6 NHs were included in a randomized control trial and were allocated to 1 of 3 groups for 24 weeks: a Sonas program group (n = 48), a reading group (n = 32), and a control group (n = 40). One hundred and five participants completed follow-up assessments. Anxiety and depression were assessed by the Rating Anxiety in Dementia (RAID) scale and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), respectively. Generalized linear mixed models were estimated to assess trends in the proportion of participants with anxiety (a RAID score ≥11) and depression (a CSDD score ≥10).

Results: No significant reduction in anxiety from baseline to follow-up was observed in any of the groups. Participants in the Sonas group showed a significant reduction in depression from baseline to 12 weeks (p = 0.001) and from baseline to 24 weeks (p = 0.009).

Conclusion: The Sonas program had no effect on severity of anxiety but a reduction in depressive symptoms was found in PWD.

Keywords: Anxiety; Dementia; Depression; Nursing home; The Sonas program.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare there were no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of participants.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The course of anxiety in the 3 groups (GLIMMIX model).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The course of depression in the 3 groups (GLIMMIX model).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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