Sing Out Loud: A Choral Singing Program for Persons Living With Dementia

This study intends to investigate whether a singing programme for nursing home residents living with dementia can reduce the mental and physiological effects of dementia. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does participating in the Sing Out Loud (SOL) singing intervention lead to an improvement in the physiological well-being (increase in oxytocin and reduction in cortisol levels) of persons living with dementia (PWDs) in nursing homes? 2. Will participation in the SOL singing intervention result in an improvement in PWDs' overall mood, temperament, and mental health (indicated by symptoms such as apathy, aggression, and depression). Researchers will compare the singing group to the control group to see if they exhibit reduced levels of apathy, aggression, and depression, and whether their levels of oxytocin and cortisol (collected via salivary biomarkers) have increased and decreased, respectively. Researchers will compare the SOL singing intervention with a waitlist control group to see if the SOL singing intervention increases the feelings of social connection, reduces stress, or improves the symptoms of dementia in nursing home residents. Participants will be randomly assigned to a singing intervention or waitlist control group. The intervention involves an 8-week long singing programme with one practice session a week, culminating in an additional full dress rehearsal and private showcase performance for their family members at a concert venue.

NCT Number	NCT06880237
Lead Sponsor	National University of Singapore Collaborators: Esplanade, APEX Harmony Lodge
Conditions	Dementia, Nursing Homes Residents
Enrollment	26 participants
Start Date	2025-03-12
Primary Completion	2025-05-26 (estimated)
Study Completion	2025-06-10 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-06-16