We believe that music can be integrated into part of the
care package for people living with dementia. We have had many care homes
asking for our advice on how to establish this integration, and so we have
decided to produce a weekly blog post with tips on how to use music as part of
your daily care routine. No musical experience is required!
During my current PhD research into the effects of music for
people living with dementia, I have read about the use of music during morning
care routines and I thought that this would be a good place to start.
Firstly, this should go without saying, chat with the person
you are caring for about their favourite song/singer/style of music, did they
used to go dancing? Did they ever play an instrument? If they didn’t play an
instrument, what instrument would they have liked to play? Do they like to
listen to the radio?
Make a note of their responses, remember musical taste is
changeable dependent on our moods, so make sure you chat about their preference
on a regular basis. Find some of the songs they mentioned or musical style.
Talk about things other than the task you are focussing on
e.g. whilst you are helping them to put their shirt on you might like to talk
about dancing, and what they would wear to dance in, play some dance music and
help to put their shirt on as you talk about the piece. If it takes a little
while to put the shirt on the person living with dementia may not become as frustrated
as they might had they been getting ready in silence. Music can be an excellent distraction.
If you find that the person you care caring for becomes
agitated during washing, sing to them gentle easy songs that are easy to sing
along with e.g. Que Serra Serra, Daisy Daisy, You are my Sunshine etc. Use the music as a tool for communication, make
sure you keep eye contact, and smile!
It is important that the music is not used in a patronising way,
ensure that the person you are caring for has choice; are there any particular
songs they would like to hear? Perhaps they wouldn’t like to hear music this
morning? Everyone is entitled to make their own choices, be sure not to inflict
your own preference onto the care situation.
The use of music for people living with dementia is a
growing area of research, a small number of studies explore the use of music
during care routines. Research conducted by Hammar et al (2010) shows that music
therapeutic caregiving (MTC) – when caregivers sing for or together with PWD
(persons with dementia) during caregiving activities – can enhance communication
for people living with dementia and can evoke more vitality and positive
emotions (Hammar et al 2010. Communicating through caregiver singing during
morning care situations in dementia care.
Scandinavian Journal of Caring
Sciences.)
We would love to hear whether you use music during morning
care routines and whether you find it beneficial in other areas of care? Do you
sing the same songs each day or do you add variety? We are looking to create a
facebook group for carers and Activity Coordinators to enable everyone to
discuss their experiences and ideas. If you would be interested in joining this
group please contact us.
Have a great week. Rosanna
www.musica-music.co.uk
