Orii McDermott
Orii McDermott
Contact Address:
UCL Mental Health Sciences Unit
University College London
Charles Bell House, 67-73 Riding House Street, London, W1W 7EJ
Tel: +44 (0)7876 734496
Email: o.mcdermott@ucl.ac.uk
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/mentalhealthsciences/
Qualifications:
BA, ARCM, DipMT, MMT
Current post:
- Senior Music Therapist at Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. U.K. (2001-)
- Mobility PhD fellow at Doctorate Programme in Music Therapy. AAU. (2010-)
Supervisors:
Prof. Martin Orrell. Mental Health Sciences Unit, University College London,
U.K.
Assoc. Prof. Hanne Mette Ridder. Doctoral Programme in Music Therapy,
Aalborg University,
Denmark
Doctoral Study:
The development and evaluation of outcome measures for music therapy with care home residents with dementia.
Background:
Dementia not only affects cognitive and executive functions but also the emotional and psychological wellbeing of people with dementia. It is reported almost 80% of people in residential care with dementia experience some form of Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (Lawler 2002). This has severe consequences on the Quality of Life for people with dementia, their relatives and carers (Bird 2008).
The benefits of music therapy for people with dementia with psychological and behavioural disturbance are frequently reported (Aldridge 1996, Vink 2000, Sherratt 2004, Raglio 2008, 2009): particularly on the short-term reduction in agitation following music therapy interventions. However, methodological weaknesses in study designs and the lack of standardised music therapy outcome indicators are often identified in literature reviews (Livingston 2005, Vink 2003, 2011). A recent review on music therapy in dementia in a narrative synthesis form conducted for this doctoral study also highlights a lack of clarity in how and why music therapy may help improve the well-being of people with dementia.
Aims:
This project aims to develop and evaluate two sets of outcome measures that are clinically relevant as well as scientifically robust. The measures will be constructed based on the data collected from focus groups and interviews with residents with dementia, their carers and music therapists. The new outcome measures aim to portray a holistic picture of the residents; not only assessing the reduction of behaviours such as agitations but also incorporating increased self-awareness of changes in their interpersonal skills.
A set of observational measures will be designed for music therapists to record changes in the residents’ presentations: such as mood, behaviour, and levels of engagement during music therapy sessions. A set of proxy measures will also be designed for care home staff to assess if they have noticed any changes in the residents during the week following music therapy.
The two key components of the project are:
- To design and validate outcome measures that reflect what may be meaningful experiences of music therapy to people with dementia in care homes.
- To explore whether music therapists’ observations of changes in the residents during music therapy sessions are recognisable by care home staff that provide day-to-day care to the residents.
Method:
A mixed-method Single-Cases Reversal Design will be used for this study. Content and thematic analysis of qualitative data from interviews and focus groups will form the bases for constructing quantitative observational and proxy outcome measures. Following music therapy interventions and data collection, psychometric validation of the new measures will be conducted. Repeat interviews and focus groups will then be conducted with the study participants. Consensus method will be used to consult a range of professionals and carers involved in dementia care to validate the clinical relevance of the outcome measures.
References:
Aldridge, D. (1996) Music Therapy with the Elderly. In Music Therapy Research and Practice in Medicine. Jessica Kingsley publishers. 186-209.
Bird, M., Moniz-Cook, E. (2008) Challenging behaviour in dementia: a psychosocial approach to intervention. In Woods, B., Clare, L. (Eds). Handbook of the Clinical Psychology of Aging. John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 571-594.
Lawlor, B. (2002) Managing behavioural and psychological symptoms in dementia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 181. 463-465.
Livingston, G., Johnston, K., Katona, C., Paton, J., Lyketsos, C. (2005), Systematic review of psychological approaches to the management of neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162:11. 1996-2021.
Raglio, A., Bellelli, G., Traficante, D., Gianotti, M., Ubezio, M., Villani, D., Trabucchi, M. (2008) Efficacy of music therapy in the treatment of behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of dementia. Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders, Vol. 22 (2). 158-162.
Raglio, A., Gianelli, M. (2009) Music Therapy for individuals with dementia: areas of interventions and research perspectives. Current Alzheimer Research, Vol.6 (3). 293-301.
Sherratt, K., Thornton, A., Hatton, C. (2004) Music interventions for people with dementia: a review of the literature. Aging & Mental Health, 8(1). 3-12.
Vink, A., Birks, J., Bruinsma, M., Scholten, R. (2003, 2011) Music Therapy for people with dementia (review). The Cochrane Collaboration. John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Vink, A. (2000) The problem of agitation in elderly people and the potential benefit of Music Therapy. In Aldridge, D. (Ed.) Music Therapy in Dementia Care. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. 102-118.
Selected Publications and Conference Presentations:
McDermott, O. (2010) ‘I’ll call you, I’ve got your number’ Music Therapy in dementia care. Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust national conference: ‘Unfettering the Imagination: Quality and Creativity in Dementia Care’. London.
McDermott, O. (2010) Dementia; Bridging the Gap. BSMT/APMT Newsletter February 2010. 17-18.
McDermott, O. (2009) Getting back to where you once belonged. A pilot Music Therapy study with people with dementia and agitation. CNWL Arts Therapists annual conference. London.
McDermott, O. (2007) Resonating with each other – collaborative Music Therapy for patients and ward staff on a PICU. International Society for the Psychological Treatments of Schizophrenias & Other Psychosis (ISPS) UK Residential Conference ‘Psychosis: experiencing, understanding and recovering’. Bath, England.
Talwar, N., Crawford, M., Maratos ,A., Nur, U., McDermott, O., Proctor, S. (2006) Music therapy for in-patients with schizophrenia: Exploratory randomised controlled trial, British Journal of Psychiatry 189. 405-409.
McDermott, O. (2002) Music Therapy for people with dementia. Paddington Dementia Forum. London.