The effect of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) on gait characteristics of cadence, velocity, and stride length in persons with late stage dementia

Persons (N = 28) diagnosed with dementia in late stage who had locomotion Functional Independence Measure (FIM) ratings of 1, total assistance required, and 2, maximal assistance required, participated as subjects. All participants were enrolled in a restorative ambulation program which was implemented in this study under 3 conditions: Rhythmic auditory stimulation in which metronomic beats were imbedded in music, rhythmic auditory stimulation which consisted of metronomic beats without music, and no auditory stimulus. Gait characteristics of cadence, velocity, and stride length were compared across the 3 conditions. No statistically significant differences were found, however, observation showed that assistive burden seemed less when both forms of rhythmic auditory stimulation were used. Further research is recommended to study the effects of RAS on care burden and continued ambulation throughout the disease trajectory.