Music as Support for Older Adults’ Wellbeing: A Scoping Review

Abstract

This scoping review investigates the status quo of the research on the role of music in old people's wellbeing, presenting the recent results and critically analyzing the conceptual clarity within the research fields. A search of peer-reviewed publications from January 2010 to December 2022 was conducted, regarding music's role in the wellbeing of this growing group of aging people. A total of 141 articles were included in an extensive screening. Through the analysis, we identified five main mechanisms, through which music may support wellbeing in this age group. These are (1) cognitive and physical rehabilitation through music, (2) social engagement in musical group activities, (3) individual's engagement with music for emotional support, self-connection, and meaning-making, (4) supporting the wellbeing of social environments around older adults, and (5) enhancing accessibility and age-related adaptation within musical activities. Also, we identified a considerable degree of inconsistency in conceptual clarity, methodology, and theoretical approaches used in researching this rather undefined topic. A compilation of research paradigms and recommendations for future research are presented.