Effects of the Sonas Program on Anxiety and Depression in Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: A 6-Month Randomized Controlled Trial

There is a dearth of evidence about the effects of Sonas, a multisensory stimulation on people with dementia (PWD). The main aim of this study was to examine the effects of the Sonas program on anxiety and depression in nursing home (NH) residents with dementia. Methods: In all, 120 PWD ≥65 years of age from 6 NHs were included in a randomized control trial and were allocated to 1 of 3 groups for 24 weeks: a Sonas program group ( n = 48), a reading group ( n = 32), and a control group ( n = 40). One hundred and five participants completed follow-up assessments. Anxiety and depression were assessed by the Rating Anxiety in Dementia (RAID) scale and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), respectively. Generalized linear mixed models were estimated to assess trends in the proportion of participants with anxiety (a RAID score ≥11) and depression (a CSDD score ≥10). Results: No significant reduction in anxiety from baseline to follow-up was observed in any of the groups. Participants in the Sonas group showed a significant reduction in depression from baseline to 12 weeks ( p = 0.001) and from baseline to 24 weeks ( p = 0.009). Conclusion: The Sonas program had no effect on severity of anxiety but a reduction in depressive symptoms was found in PWD.