Orthopaedic and Traumatology Department, United Christian Hospital, HKSAR, China.
J Adv Nurs. 2010 Dec;66(12):2677-87. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05445.x. Epub 2010 Sep 10.
This paper is a report of a study of the effect of music on the quality of life of community-dwelling older Chinese people in Hong Kong.
Older people's quality of life can be improved by preparing for the transition into old age. Listening to music, as a vehicle for feeling, can facilitate the non-verbal expression of emotion, reaching people's inner feelings without being threatening, and it can be a tool for emotional catharsis.
A randomized controlled trial design was conducted from in 2007 in a community centre in Hong Kong. A total of 66 older people (31 in music group and 35 in control group), aged from 65 to 90 years were randomly assigned to undergo either a 30-minute music intervention or a rest period for 4 weeks; quality of life outcomes were then measured.
Quality of life improved weekly in the music group, indicating a cumulative dose effect, and a statistically significantly better quality of life was found over time in each sub-score for those in the music group compared with the controls. However, in the music group, there were no statistically significant improvements of quality of life in each sub-score over the 4 weeks.
Being engaged in music activities can help a person to connect with their life experiences and with other people, and to be more stimulated. Music is a non-invasive, simple and inexpensive therapeutic method of improving quality of life in community-dwelling elders.
本研究旨在探讨音乐对香港社区居住的华裔老年人生活质量的影响。
为迎接老年生活的转变做准备可以提高老年人的生活质量。音乐作为一种情感表达的媒介，可以促进非言语情感的表达，在不具威胁性的情况下触及人们的内心感受，是一种情感宣泄的工具。
2007 年，在香港的一个社区中心进行了一项随机对照试验设计。共有 66 名年龄在 65 至 90 岁的老年人（音乐组 31 人，对照组 35 人）被随机分配接受 30 分钟的音乐干预或 4 周的休息时间；然后测量生活质量结果。
音乐组的生活质量每周都有改善，表明存在累积剂量效应，与对照组相比，音乐组的每个子评分在每个时间点的生活质量都有显著提高。然而，在音乐组中，每个子评分的生活质量在 4 周内并没有显著改善。
参与音乐活动可以帮助一个人与自己的生活经历和他人建立联系，并获得更多的刺激。音乐是一种非侵入性、简单且廉价的改善社区居住老年人生活质量的治疗方法。
