Do Something New

During Dementia Awareness Week the Alzheimer's Society are running a campaign #DoSomethingNew. The initiative is being run because a diagnosis of dementia doesn't mean stopping doing the things you love or trying something new.

The idea was inspired by Ken, Margaret and Ian, who took steps towards fulfilling a life-long dream or ambition. Ken had been a singer from a young age, and after his diagnosis of dementia in 2011, decided to take his singing to the next level, and in April 2015 he sang at Newcastle United FC for the X Factor!

The Alzheimer's Society are inviting all of us to #DoSomethingNew and share our photos, stories etc with them.

On Monday I fulfilled my #DoSomethingNew pledge. I have been performing with the HMS Heron Royal Navy Volunteer Band for the past 2 years, but I haven't plucked up the courage to march (I was heavily pregnant this time last year so I did have an excuse!) But on Monday evening I set out in my waterproofs with my clarinet and got stuck in.

It was drummed into me to 'always start on the left foot' and off we went! For the first piece I focussed purely on marching, keeping in time and staying in line with my fellow band members, they say that women can multi task, but this was taking it to a whole new level. For the second piece I plucked up my courage to play and march, so what if I lost my place halfway through, or my feet went out of sequence and I dragged behind, the main thing is that I did it! And with a bit (OK, a lot!) more practise I think I will be a marching pro in no time...

If you are in the Plymouth area come and see us take part in the Royal Navy Volunteer Band Festival on Sunday 28th June, and you can see me put my parading prowess into practice!

Dementia Friends

Well Dementia Awareness Week has got off to a flying start! It has been very inspirational to follow the Alzheimer's Society's posts, and to see the hive of activity on twitter using the hash tag #DAW2015. I hope that the positive stories and interviews are helping to break down the stigma that sadly surrounds dementia.

Today I want to talk about the fantastic Dementia Friends initiative and to encourage you to sign up as a dementia friend if you haven't done so already.

Background

The Dementia Friends initiative began in 2013, with the aim that by 2015 there would be 1 million people who had received the training, enabling them to help people living with dementia to feel supported and included in their local community.

Dementia Friends Champions receive training and ongoing support to deliver the Dementia Friends sessions in their community. 

How can I get involved?

There are lots of ways you can be involved with the Dementia Friends initiative, and it doesn't have to be time consuming. 

• Become a Dementia Friend by watching the online video
• Become a Dementia Friend by attending a 1-hour information session in your area
• Volunteer as a Dementia Friends Champion and inspire others to learn a little more about dementia and the ways they can help those living with dementia in their community.

For more information and to become a Dementia Friend visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk

Myself and Frankie Simpkins (Area Manager Musica Wiltshire) are Dementia Champions and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

What is Dementia?

As part of Dementia Awareness Week (17th-23rd May 2015) I will be writing a post everyday relating to dementia and how the arts can contribute to living well with dementia.

As the whole point of this week is to raise awareness of dementia, and to reduce the stigma which sadly still surrounds it, I thought I would start with a brief overview of Dementia.

Stats

-There are currently 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK

- There are 40,000 younger people living with dementia in the UK

- Two thirds of people with dementia are women

- The proportion of people with dementia doubles for every five year age gap

- The financial cost of dementia to the UK is £26 billion per annum

- There are 670,000 carers of people living with dementia

- Family carers of people with dementia save the UK  £11 billion a year

- Only 44% of people with dementia in England,  Wales and Northern Ireland receive a diagnosis

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=341 

The word dementia is an umbrella term for a set of diseases, all with similar symptoms, that affect the brain. It is not part of natural ageing. The diseases that come under the heading of dementia cause the nerve cells within the brain to die, causing gaps and tangles in connections, and brain shrinkage (brain atrophy). Dementia is a degenerative condition, with no cure at present.

As the disease progresses, the person may:
- become confused and frequently forget the names of people, places, appointments and recent events
- experience mood wings, feel sad or angry, or scared and frustrated by their increasing memory loss
- become more withdrawn, due to  either a loss of confidence or to communication problems
- have difficulty carrying out everyday activities

Dementia affects individuals in different ways, and it is important that we remember the person behind the condition. A person centred approach is very much needed when working with or caring for people living with dementia.

This is a very brief overview, but for more information on dementia visit www.alzheimers.org.uk

New Area Manager for Musica Somerset

We are delighted to announce that we have a new Area Manager for Somerset!

This month we welcomed Frances de Bosdari as the newest member of the Musica team. Frances has had a passion for music all her life, singing in choirs, in a rock band and running music and movement classes for children. She is a trained Montessori teacher and is very interested in the use of music in child development.

During the past three years Frances has worked for the Alzheimer's Society, assisting with the local Singing for the Brain group in Castle Cary. It is because of these sessions and seeing the incredible difference music can make with reference to cognitive function, wellbeing, and mobility, that she took an interest in the work of Musica particularly in care homes. 

Frances says "working with all ages and sharing my passion for music is where I feel I am most needed in the community. I look forward to being part of the Musica team, and delivering interactive sessions across Somerset."

If you would like to know more about the services offered in Somerset, contact Frances directly:
frances.debosdari@musica-music.co.uk
07957 663 088
www.musica-music.co.uk

 

Archive: What Songs Will You Listen to When you are 80?

One of my all time favourite things to do is sink into a big bubble bath, with a glass of wine listening to music that brings back happy memories; one song in particular that I like to listen to is ‘Better Together’ by Jack Johnson. This is mine and my husband’s song, and the music for our first dance at our wedding.

I love to listen to music that reminds me of milestones in my life, no doubt as my daughter grows up I will have many songs which remind me of her. This got me thinking about our Musica workshops and our emphasis on the use of stimulating music to promote memory recall; I wondered ‘what songs would I like to hear when I am 80?’ I am sure that the Spice Girls would appear in my top playlist, maybe Aerosmith, Dire Straits or even S Club 7 (I have quite an eclectic taste!)

I find it fascinating to see the shift in musical tastes already changing within the older generation, gone are the days of singing Vera Lynn songs, instead residents are requesting Cliff Richard, Tom Jones and the Beatles. In the not too distant future I’m sure we will hear the Rolling Stones playing in care homes across the country!

I would love to hear about your own musical memories, share your stories in the comment box below.

Music During Care Routine

I believe that music can be integrated into part of the care package for people living with dementia. I have had many care homes asking for our advice on how to establish this integration, and so I have decided to produce a bi-monthly 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.)

I 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? 

Post your comments below.

www.musica-music.co.uk

Launch of Musica Derbyshire

With an ever increasing demand for care homes to engage and stimulate their residents, it can be a challenge to provide a variety of activities which is highly important for both the well-being of the residents and the reputation of the care home. Musica is fast becoming the answer to this concern and the business has recently launched with a new Area Manager in Derbyshire.

Musica offers affordable hour-long music workshops to care homes, taking residents on a musical journey from a gentle warm up, through to reminiscence, quizzes and singing – culminating in a live performance from talented, professional Musica Representatives. With clients ranging from large care home groups to small independent establishments, this unique business specialises in the care home market with the aim of stimulating residents and improving cognitive functions, providing a more active life for people in care homes. 

Musica focuses on the well-being of older people and particularly specialises in the engagement of people with dementia. Musica is an active corporate partner of the Alzheimer’s Society and a member of the Dementia Action Alliance.Kate Jackson, pictured, is joining the Musica team to run the Derbyshire territory. She says “the capabilities of communicating through music are remarkable and I have found my true calling as a musician.I am passionate about music, and through Musica I hope to share my enthusiasm and enjoyment for music with older adults."

As well as workshops, Musica also provides musicians for care settings looking to have performances as part of open days or special occasions. To learn more about Musica, visit www.musica-music.co.uk

Songs from the Musicals Boosts Cognitive Function of People Living with Dementia

I read an article a few months back in the Guardian Newspaper, about the benefits of singing well-known musicals with people with Alzheimer’s Disease.  A four month study in the US showed that regularly singing songs from popular musicals such as ‘My Fair Lady’ and ‘The Sound of Music’ can improve the brain function of people with moderate to severe dementia.

Subjects in the study participated in three 50 minute group sessions per week for four months; showing the importance of involving people with dementia in regular group music sessions. The results showed that cognitive functions were improved after the four month period of regular singing; this was measured using drawing tests and quality of life measurements.

The reason behind this is that familiar music stimulates the brain, involving areas connected with memory (such as the hippocampus).  When we listen to music a multitude of events occur; firstly, the primary auditory cortex processes the music and interacts with the frontal lobe. The broca’s area (linked with speech function) responds, causing us to sing along with songs we are familiar with. The medial prefrontal cortex plays a major role as it is linked with cognitive behaviour; expression and social behaviour; this is used when an image of a specific event connected to a song is recalled, such as our first kiss. Therefore, singing well known songs can activate previously unused areas of the brain, leading to an increase in engagement and cognitive stimulation.

The Alzheimer’s Society is an advocate of singing for people with dementia, through their Singing for the Brain (SfTB) groups:

"There is much anecdotal evidence that the groups have real benefits for people with dementia," a spokesperson said. "Even when many memories are hard to retrieve, music can sometimes still be recalled, if only for a short while. The sessions help people with dementia communicate, improving their mood and leaving them feeling good about themselves."

In our Musica workshops we see firsthand the amazing benefits of participating in music workshops and singing popular songs, particularly those from the musicals. We sing a variety of well known songs in our sessions and regularly use musicals to form part of our Musica quiz.  It is great to see the often immediate improvement in cognitive function after singing a song which ignites a particular memory for a participant living with dementia.

We are going to run a series of posts over the next couple of months for carers of people with dementia, focusing on how you can use simple musical activities each day to benefit their health and wellbeing. If you would like to contribute to this, please put your ideas in a comment below.

For more information about Musica visit www.musica-music.co.uk

Using Day to Day Activities for Meaningful Engagements with your Residents

We know that it can often be difficult to engage your residents in meaningful activities, and to provide a person centred approach to activities run within care settings.  It is important that people maintain their independence once they move into a care home, and continue to take part in daily activities; this can boost people's self esteem, provide them with a sense of achievement and improve their well-being.

We've spoken with our clients and colleagues, and we've come up with our top 10 day to day activities for meaningful engagements with your residents (in no particular order):

1. Keeping Animals - Keeping animals such as chickens can provide an enjoyable routine, particularly for residents who used to live on a farm or had livestock. Collecting the eggs and eating them for breakfast is very rewarding!
2. Making the Bed - Some residents may enjoy helping staff to make their bed, providing them with a sense of achievement and pride.
3. Polishing Cutlery - This can be nice as a 1:1 or group activity; whilst polishing perhaps play some music in the background, talk about the days when the residents polished cutlery at home or at work if they were a waitress/waiter.
4. Folding Tea towels or Napkins - For residents that often wander you may find that they enjoy sitting down and folding laundry such as tea towels or napkins, and doing something productive with their hands.
5. Watering the plants - Residents who used to enjoy gardening (and no doubt still would enjoy gardening if it is accessible) may like to help water the garden or plants, this can be a nice job in the summer during the light evenings.
6. Taking the dog for a walk - some care homes having a dog, and residents who are able might like to assist the staff with taking the dog for a walk, this is a great chance for social interaction and a nice way for the resident to have a change of scenery.
7. Helping with afternoon tea - Encourage the residents to help with afternoon tea, putting the tea bags in the pot and arranging the all important biscuits!
8. Playing the piano - if you have a piano encourage your musical residents to play, they may even find the other residents sing along!
9. Dusting - If you have a resident who is particularly house proud they may prefer to do their own dusting. Encourage them to dust their TV, photo frames etc (anything within easy reach) with a colourful feather duster.
10. Daily Crosswords - many people like to complete the crosswords in newspapers over a cup of tea, this is a great way to keep the brain active in later life. You could use crosswords from a newspaper or create your own tailored to the resident, this can form a great conversation stater.

What are your top activities? We would love to know what works in your home.

Have a good week!

www.musica-music.co.uk

Case Study Musica Wiltshire

New Area Manager for Musica West Midlands

With an ever increasing demand for care homes to engage and stimulate their residents, it can be a challenge to provide a variety of activities which is highly important for both the well-being of the residents and the reputation of the care home. Musica is fast becoming the answer to this concern and the business has recently launched with a new Area Manager in the West Midlands.

Musica offers affordable hour-long music workshops to care homes, taking residents on a musical journey from a gentle warm up, through to reminiscence, quizzes and singing – culminating in a live performance from talented, professional Musica Representatives. With clients ranging from large care home groups to small independent establishments, this unique business specialises in the care home market with the aim of stimulating residents and improving cognitive functions, providing a more active life for people in care homes. Due to the success in South West Musica has expanded into the West Midlands!       

Musica focuses on the well-being of older people and particularly specialises in the engagement of people with dementia. Musica is an active corporate partner of the Alzheimer’s Society and a member of the Dementia Action Alliance.

Christa Hugo, pictured, is joining the Musica team to run the West Midlands territory. She says “Musica was set up in 2010 by Rosanna Mead, and since then, it has grown rapidly. I am so excited to be taking on the running of Musica here, and really looking forward to meeting local homes and their residents”.

Christa studied music at the University of Southampton and qualified as a secondary school music teacher at Bath Spa University College. Christa is a highly skilled and experienced all-round musician and gained grade 8 distinctions in both piano and oboe at a young age. At all Musica sessions in the West Midlands she will be performing and very much hopes to share her passion for music with residents and activity coordinators alike.

As well as workshops, Musica also provides musicians for care homes looking to put on open days, fetes or special entertainment. To learn more about Musica, visit www.musica-music.co.uk or call Christa Hugo on 07941 108 342.

A Little Guide To Using Music As Part of Your Daily Care Routine

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

Musica Gift Voucher Launched

Stuck for What to Get your Loved One this Christmas?

Buy them an Interactive Musica Workshop!

It can be difficult knowing what to buy a loved one in a care home for Christmas or birthday celebrations. We are pleased to announce that we are now selling gift vouchers for a one hour Musica session; you can buy this for a chosen care home so that your loved one and their friends can benefit from an interactive and stimulating music workshop.

Due to the locations we are currently working in, gift vouchers can only be bought for sessions to be delivered in the following areas:

Dorset

Wiltshire

B&NES

Somerset

Hampshire

West Midlands

During December we are offering our workshops for just £40 (normal price £50) this includes a qualified facilitator and all resources. The voucher is valid for 6 months, allowing the care home time to book the session around other activities.

For more information contact Musica Head Office

Email: info@musica-music.co.uk

Tel: 01202 348 038

How a Graduate Employing Graduates Led to a Successful Music Business

Read our latest press release in the Bath Spa University Alumni Magazine - Spartan.
http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/about-us/alumni/magazine

Guest Blog - Claire Selbie

I had a great response to my blog post last week – What Music Will you Listen to When You are 80 – I will share some of the responses through tweets and facebook posts.This week I am pleased to share a guest post with you, written by our very own Claire Selbie (owner, Musica Westmidlands), sharing her memorable songs.

“The beauty of music is that it is so evocative. There are so many songs that will always take me back to a particular time in my life and that remind me of special people. Here’s a whistle-stop tour through some of my favourites:

Stranger on the Shore (Mr Acker Bilk) – One of my earliest memories is of hearing my Grandad play this on the piano. Since then, it has remained a favourite – these days I play along on the flute!

Brimful Of Asha (Cornershop) – I have a vivid memory of listening to this song with my oldest friend, Naomi in her bedroom. She’d bought the single (possibly the first one she’d bought?) on TAPE! We must have been about 7/8 and were playing with our teddy bears (cute). Whenever I go out and hear this song, it reminds me of her.

Wonderwall (Oasis) – Growing up with two older brothers, this was played loud and often in our house when I was growing up.

Under Cover of Darkness (The Strokes) – This song was my savoir in late night essay writing sessions in my last year of uni.  It reminds me of too much coffee, notes spread all over my bedroom floor, back-ache from sitting at my desk for too long and sleep-deprivation!

I’m A Cuckoo (Belle and Sebastian) – I’ll finish with this song which brings back lovely memories of dancing around the Big Top tent at Bestival this summer with some great people. Listening back to it makes me feel happy, strong and free.”

Please keep sharing your thoughts with us!

Rosanna Mead

www.musica-music.co.uk

What Songs Will You Listen to When You Are 80?

One of my all time favourite things to do is sink into a big bubble bath, with a glass of wine listening to music that brings back happy memories; one song in particular that I like to listen to is ‘Better Together’ by Jack Johnson. This is mine and my husband’s song, and the music for our first dance at our wedding.

Last night as I listened to Athlete’s album ‘Vehicles and Animals’ I began reminiscing about my teenage years, remembering the stresses and strains of the dreaded GCSE exams and of longing to be an independent young woman. I love being in this state, letting my mind drift away to times gone past. This got me thinking about our Musica workshops and our emphasis on the use of stimulating music to promote memory recall; I wondered ‘what songs would I like to hear when I am 80?’ I am sure that the Spice Girls would appear in my top playlist, maybe Aerosmith, Guns and Roses or even S Club 7 (I have quite an eclectic taste!)

I find it fascinating to see the shift in musical tastes already changing within the older generation, gone are the days of singing Vera Lynn songs, instead residents are requesting Cliff Richard, Tom Jones and the Beatles. In the not too distant future I’m sure we will hear the Rolling Stones playing in care homes across the country!

Today’s blog post is the start of a new weekly feature  entitled ‘ Memory Lane’ where we are going to post songs that bring back significant memories for our facilitators and participants. We would love to hear about your own musical memories so please contact us with suggestions to go in our blog, stating the song title, artist and what memories it evokes for you.

So start thinking.... ‘What songs would I like to listen to when I am 80?’ Please share this; it would be great to hear everyone’s song choices, and of course you can submit more than one song!

Have a great week!

Rosanna x

Musica is expanding!

Welcome to the first blog from Musica.

We are pleased to announce that our Musica team is growing!

A big welcome to Joel and Natasha who will be running Musica workshops across Hampshire; watch out for our latest press release about our work in Southampton.

We are sad to say goodbye to Matt who has been running Musica B&NES; Matt is moving to London where he will be studying for a Master's Degree in Music; we wish you the best of luck Matt! As Matt moves on we welcome Stuart who is currently assisting Matt and will take over Musica B&NES from September.

We are in the process of lots of exciting developments which will be featured in our next newsletter.

If you would like to know more about Musica please feel free to contact us.

Rosanna Mead (Director)
www.musica-music.co.uk
info@musica-music.co.uk

Welcome to the New Musica Blog

Welcome to our new Musica blog!

Welcome to our new blog, we have lots of exciting news so watch out for updates!