The effect of instrumental and vocal music on adherence to a physical rehabilitation exercise program with persons who are elderly.

This study compared live, instrumental music, vocal music, and no music on the repetition frequencies for 14 prescribed physical therapy rehabilitation exercises. Male (N = 4) and female (N = 15) residents of care centers for older adults served as subjects. They ranged in age from 65 to 90 years (M= 84.3), and were either referred to physical therapy or were already involved in a physical therapy exercise pro-gram. All subjects (N = 19) participated in 6 treatment sessions under 3 conditions: Two sessions with live instrumental music, two with live vocal music, and two with no music. In all music sessions, familiar and recognizable songs were paired with specific exercises. Each exercise in all conditions had the same duration, and a metronome established consistent tempos. Each session was videotaped for later review and data collection. Analyses of variance were calculated for treatment effects and mean differences among the three conditions which yielded significant treatment effects and treatment differences among conditions for 6 of the 14 exercises. Unsolicited comments from subjects indicated preference for music over no music conditions while exercising. Further study is required to establish the relationship between music enhanced exercises and adherence to exercise regimens in populations of older adults.