Music-Based Application to Improve Insomnia in Patients With Dementia and Their Caregivers: Darina Petrovsky, PhD, RN

WATCH TIME: 3 minutes 

“Not everybody seeks care or seeks treatment or diagnosis of Alzheimer's or other types of dementia. We have a couple of clinicians that we work with, but we are not working with all of the physicians in New Jersey that are seeing these patients.”

Insomnia in patients with Alzheimer disease and related dementiaaccelerates the progression of the disease and reduces cognitive function. Not only does insomnia impact the health of the individual with Alzheimer but also their caregivers who may experience an increased burden and poor quality of life. 

Nonpharmacological interventions such as music offers those with insomnia symptoms a safer alternative medicine to improve their sleep health. Music has been known to be linked to memory which could be beneficial for those living with Alzheimer even at later stages of the disease.

Darina Petrovsky, PhD, RN, assistant professor, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, was recently awarded a grant, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute on Aging. The title of her project is called “Music-based Intervention for Insomnia in Persons Living with Dementia and their Caregivers” (1K23AG073618-01) which is being conducted in the Petrovsky Lab.¹ 

Recently in an interview with NeurologyLive®, Petrovsky, core member, Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, provided an overview on her ongoing lab project on creating a music-based intervention for individuals living with dementia and their caregivers who experience insomnia. She also explains some of the challenges that have occurred during the recruitment stage and how she plans to combat the issue.

REFERENCES
1. Petrovsky Lab. Homepage. Published 2021. Accessed November 29, 2022. https://sites.rutgers.edu/petrovsky-lab/