Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Music Therapy

Background:

• Music activities offer significant benefits in dementia care, including memory recall, personal expression, and maintaining selfhood.
• Co-developed technologies, the Slider Box and MMM e-music box, aim to increase accessibility to musical experiences for individuals with dementia.
• These devices are designed to empower the agency of people living with dementia in their musical engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how the specific features of distinct music activities influence engagement in people living with dementia.
• To compare engagement levels across different technology-supported musical tasks.

Main Methods:

• Eighty-three musical engagements were recorded across six community café visits.
• Participants with dementia, carers, volunteers, and staff engaged with three music activities: mixing familiar music stems, creating new music (audio playgrounds), and playback of familiar music using the Slider Box and MMM e-music box.
• Engagement was assessed using the Music in Dementia Assessment Scale (MiDAS) and qualitative analysis of interactions.

Main Results:

• Preliminary models suggest that different technology-supported music activities impact MiDAS engagement scores.
• Qualitative data revealed diverse musical behaviors, including singing, moving, reminiscing, and expressing satisfaction or surprise at musical creation.

Conclusions:

• Technologies can expand musical opportunities for people living with dementia.
• Tailoring musical offerings through technology can meet diverse individual goals and enhance well-being.