The study will focus on the impact of communal singing on patients with stroke and their personal caregivers. Forty post-stroke patients will be randomly assigned to two groups: the first group of 20 stroke survivors and their caregivers (up to 40 total participants) will receive 6 months (approximately 24 sessions) of music therapy. The second control groups of 20 stroke survivors and their caregivers will receive standard post-stroke care.~All enrolled participants will be assessed on their mood, past music experience and music genre preference (music therapy assessment). They will complete the abridged Beck (BDI-2-fastscreen) questionnaire, the stoke and aphasia quality of life scale; a Likert which measures distress; the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB); the NIH Stroke Scale (SS); the Figely compassion scale; and the driving scene test (Stern and White); and the Rankin. In additional we will take saliva samples from all participants to measure hormone levels.~Participants can attend zoom or live.
The study will focus on the impact of communal singing on patients with stroke and their personal caregivers. Forty post-stroke patients will be randomly assigned to two groups: the first group of 20 stroke survivors and their caregivers (up to 40 total participants) will receive 6 months (approximately 24 sessions) of music therapy. The second control groups of 20 stroke survivors and their caregivers will receive standard post-stroke care