Evaluating the potential of group singing to enhance the well-being of older people

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the effect of a singing program developed specifically for older community-dwelling people on measures of health and well-being. Method: An eight-week singing program was developed and evaluated using standardised measures of health and well-being, measures designed to examine specific singing program outcomes, and semi-structured interviews. Participants aged 70 years and older were recruited through a home care service provider (n=17) and an advertisement in a community newspaper (n=19). Results: Standard outcome measures indicated that the program had little effect on health and well-being. However, study-specific measures indicated that many participants had positive gai..