The personal benefits of musicking for people living with dementia: a thematic synthesis of the qualitative literature

Abstract

Background: This review aimed to explore the psychological, social and emotional benefits of taking part in music activities for people living with dementia through a systematic review of the qualitative literature.. Methods: Qualitative and mixed-method studies exploring the use of music for people living with dementia in a number of contexts were identified through a search of Psycinfo, CINAHL, Open Grey, Proquest Theses and Dissertations and Web of Science databases Results: Eighteen studies were identified that covered a wide range of music programmes for people with dementia, with the majority of programs focusing on active musical participation. A thematic synthesis revealed four key benefits of music engagement for people with dementia, namely: Taking Part, Being Connected, Affirming Identity and Immersion 'in the moment'. Conclusions: Engaging with music has a number of psychological, social and emotional benefits for people with dementia. However, only seven of 18 studies actively included people with dementia in the research process. Going forward, it would appear essential that people with dementia are encouraged to take a more active role in research exploring musical experiences and that a heightened emphasis is placed upon participatory approaches to knowledge generation.

Making a university community more dementia friendly through participation in an intergenerational choir

“…Therefore, this study adds to the knowledge base about approaches for building dementia friendly communities (Henwood & Downs, 2014) and reducing dementia stigma (ADI, 2012). It also supports the findings about the benefits of music as a means to foster social interaction and connectedness (Dowlen et al, 2017; Reynolds et al, 2017).…”

“…Music, as one of the creative arts, can be a vehicle that can foster social cohesion, contact, and relationship building, as has been shown with people with dementia and their family members (Camic, Williams, & Meeten, 2013; Hays & Minichiello, 2005; McDermett, Orrell, & Ridder, 2014; Sixsmith & Gibson, 2007; Unadkat, Camic, & Vella-Burrows, 2016). Dowlen et al (2017) suggest that the meaningful social interactions and connections that musical activities foster enables the person with dementia to feel a sense of security and a sense of belonging. Thus, providing them an opportunity to feel part of a community.…”

Co-creativity, well-being and agency: A case study analysis of a co-creative arts group for people with dementia

“…exerting agency (Bartlett & O'Connor, 2010; Ludwin & Capstick, 2017). However, there are a scarcity of ways of successfully including and working with people with dementia (Beard, 2004, Dowlen et al, 2017; Murphy, Jordan, Hunter, Cooney, & Casey, 2014). As noted by others this may in part be due to a lack of methodological ingenuity (Litherland & Capstick, 2014, p.410) and an absence of creatively inclusive responses (Shakespeare et al, 2017).…”

Broadening the debate on creativity and dementia: A critical approach

“…Although creative practices have thus begun to gain in importance in the care of people living with dementia, the more mundane forms of creativity that emerge in everyday life have been overlooked in terms of how these are used by people living dementia and by their carers and family members as a way of negotiating the impacts of dementia. In part, the lack of attention paid to everyday forms of creativity may be due to the widespread association of creativity with formal arts such as painting and music (Richards, 2007) and more limited efforts to capture in-the-moment creative experiences and contributions made by people with dementia (see for example: Dowlen et al., 2017). Furthermore, creativity as a general concept is often associated with originality, genius and notable contributions to public life – what has become known as ‘Big-C’ creativity (Beghetto & Kaufman, 2007).…”