Testing a Musical Game Activity for Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Leisure programs that combine music with active leisure activities are more common than music combined with passive activities. The latter offers alternatives for older adults with health declines. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the effect of an innovative song bingo game on mood, satisfaction, and acceptability in community-residing older adults. The design was quasi-experimental. A convenience sample of 13 older adults (mean age = 74.4; 53.8% female, 38.5% black) were recruited from a community senior center. The intervention was an innovative song bingo program offered one time with staff assistance. A song list was created from age-appropriate music. Measures included a demographic survey, mood scale, and satisfaction and acceptability items. Data analysis was performed to compute descriptive items and compare mean mood scores before and after the program. Before the program, 33.4% of the participants reported their mood as “very happy” or “happy.” Afterwards, 61.5% reported their mood was either “very happy” or “happy.” When comparing the preprogram and postprogram mean mood scores, mean values increased from 5.0 (standard deviation [SD] = 1.0) to 5.7 (SD = 1.4), although the difference was not statistically significant (t = −1.8, p = .09). Overall participants were satisfied and would play again. This program was cost-effective and improved mood in community-dwelling older adults. Replicating this study in a larger sample and different settings is recommended.