Overview
Songlines for Parkinson's was developed for and with people with Parkinson's (PwP), music therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, neuroscientists and neurorehabilitation specialists in Switzerland to ameliorate motor and non-motor symptoms, thereby improving quality of life for PwP (project co-financed by SNF and Parkinson’s Schweiz).
We are grateful to Parkinson Schweiz for co-funding the clinical adaption of Songlines for Parkinson’s for ambulatory patients in outpatient clinics in Switzerland.
Whilst physical therapy can improve motor symptoms, benefits do not extend to psychological mood. Conversely, therapeutic approaches using music, such as rhythmic auditory stimulation and dance for Parkinson’s can be beneficial both for functional mobility and psychological wellbeing. This may be because music, as a specialised stimulus, has both motivational and organisational properties that can improve the efficacy of interventions by a) increasing the motivation to move and continue to move (ergogenic effect), and b) providing auditory cues to regulate movement (temporal scaffolding).
Therefore, we aimed to provide a new group-based, low-cost programme integrating musical activities into a task-based exercise for and with PwP and allied health professionals to improve neurorehabilitation in Parkinson’s care in a clinical setting.
Following the intervention development phase, the testing phase for Songlines for Parkinson’s was successfully completed in UK and in Lucerne. Within the present project, a clinical adaption of the intervention will be conducted in Lugano (outpatient service of Clinica Hildebrand) and in Zurich (outpatient service Kliniken Valens/Klinik Lengg). The interventions will be the group music and movement course 'Songlines for Parkinson's' as per the protocol published on the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/329gh/?view_only=95cd9414c8264c48bb303c397ad39b6b and a comparison group taking part in a 'Gentle Gym' which is a low-impact circuit training type course especially developed as an active control activity that also focuses on functional mobility, but without music.
The current need for clinical adaption of the study arises because of the popularity of the intervention: several public talks, television shows and media interviews have resulted in great interest and demand for more access. One important and sustainable way we can meet this demand in Switzerland is to conduct a study demonstrating that Songlines can be adapted for outpatient clinical use, providing a model for health organizations and policymakers to consider the impact of music in Parkinson’s care, and thereby making the intervention accessible for PwP.
