MUSic Listening Impact on QUality of Life, Brain and Burnout of ALzheimer' Patients Informal Caregivers

Plain-language summary

Although life expectancy is increasing, the risk of dependence and/or loss of autonomy is increasing too with ageing. Alzheimer's disease affects many people and this kind of disease is constantly growing. Today, relatives of these sick people are increasingly taking on the role of carer to help them remain at home as long as possible. This situation of assistance has often a negative impact on the quality of life of the caregiver, which in some cases can lead to the caregiver burnout and increase the risk factors for developing pathological ageing. This situation can also damage the relationship and the quality of interactions between patient/caregiver dyad. Non-pharmacological therapies and the use of digital tools appear to be promising avenues to fight psychological distress and social isolation, but also to improve the quality and duration of homecare services, by promoting the autonomy of the patient. The MUSIQUAL+ study aims to evaluate the impact of music listening offered to caregivers, alone or with their sick relative, on the quality of life and the exhaustion felt by the caregiver. Three times 20-minute sessions a week of music listening at home through the use of a tablet application, for 12 weeks, will be proposed. In addition to the collection of subjective feelings of the caregivers, a neuropsychological evaluation of the patient and the caregiver will be carried out on 90 dyads divided. Finally, in order to better understand the cerebral mechanisms involved and to provide evidence of the effect of this intervention, an EEG recording will be made before and after the musical listening. This study proposes a therapeutic and preventive alternative to drug treatments and to the currently unsatisfactory support of patients and their caregivers in distress; its benefits will be assessed too.

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