This trial found that a choir-singing programme reduced depression and anxiety symptoms in older adults, adding new mental health benefits to the same research group’s earlier work showing choir singing also helps protect thinking skills.
In a 10-week pilot programme combining drumming and dance for university students, participants’ mental health, quality of life, and creativity improved, while a comparison group who didn’t take part actually got worse over the same period.
This trial found that a two-year choir-singing programme gave a small but real boost to thinking skills in older Singaporeans at risk of memory decline, compared with health education, though there were no differences in brain scans or ageing markers.
In a two-year trial, older Singaporeans at risk of dementia who joined a weekly choir showed a small but real improvement in thinking skills compared with those who received health education instead, though no differences showed up on brain scans or ageing markers.
Reviewing 11 trials, this study found that creative activities — including visual arts, dance, music, and storytelling — generally improved memory and overall thinking skills in older people with mild cognitive decline, though the quality of evidence varied.
Using brain scans, this study found that art therapy was linked to improved thinking skills and a thickening of a brain region involved in planning and decision-making in older adults with early memory problems, giving physical evidence that art-making can benefit the brain.
This study found that older adults with early memory problems who took part in art therapy showed improved memory and attention after three months, with memory gains still visible six months later.
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This trial compared art therapy with music-based reminiscence activities in elderly people with early memory problems. Art therapy led to bigger and longer-lasting improvements in memory, attention, and other thinking skills than music activities did.
This study protocol describes a two-year trial testing whether joining a community choir can help prevent memory decline in 360 older Singaporeans at risk of dementia. It measures changes in thinking, mood, sleep, and stress.
This study protocol describes a trial comparing art therapy and music-based reminiscence activities for elderly Singaporeans with early memory problems. It tracks changes in thinking, mood, and brain ageing markers over nine months.
