danceSing Care Evaluation: Testing the Feasibility

A Realist Evaluation of the Feasibility of a Digital Music and Movement Intervention for Older People Living in Care Homes

• The investigators wanted to find out if digital music and movement resources could be delivered in care homes. They rolled out a 12-week programme to 10 care homes and had 47 care home residents participate in the research.
• The investigators also wanted to find out under what circumstances the digital music and movement resources would be most effective for the health and wellbeing of the care home residents.
• A survey measuring the number of falls in the past three months, activities of daily living and health, psychosocial wellbeing (anxiety, depression, stress and loneliness), sleep satisfaction and frailty measures such as appetite and weight loss) was completed before and after the intervention. Also, interviews with residents and focus groups with staff were done after the intervention to find out how they felt about the programme.

The specific research objectives were to evaluate the following topics:

1. Feasibility: was the activity implemented and/or delivered as planned? Were the resources suitable for this setting? Were adherence rates at an acceptable level?
2. Context: what is the role of the care homes in providing resources to the Activity Coordinators (ACs)? In what circumstances would the programme have worked most efficiently? What were the potential barriers for care homes or ACs to provide these resources?
3. Mechanism: what underlying mechanisms made the danceSing Care programme work (or not)? Was it the situational context or the programme context?
4. Outcome: What were the results? Were the outcomes adequate and realistic for this programme?
5. Moderators: were moderating factors responsible? By moderating factors, we are referring to contextual factors that are out of the program's control but may help or hinder the achievement of the outcomes.

Inclusion Criteria:

• residents in care homes ≥ 65 years,
• able to complete 12 weeks of a movement and music program,
• having the capacity to give informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• currently taking part in any other clinical trial which could potentially have an impact upon or influence the findings of the current study,
• pre-existing conditions or concurrent diagnoses which would profoundly impact their capacity to undergo the intervention, even once adaptations have been made,
• inability to understand written/spoken English adequately to participate in the measures and intervention (e.g., due to cognitive or sensory impairment).