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It is often difficult for family members and caregivers to interact with persons with profound multiple disabilities (PMD) because of the severely compromised communicative repertoire of this population. The resulting communication challenges may limit the ability of others to perceive personhood in individuals with PMD. This preliminary study investigated the effects of music generated in real time from physiological signals (biomusic) on caregiver perceptions of their interactions with persons with PMD. Caregivers (n = 10; parents and clinical staff) engaged in four, 10-min interactions with a person with PMD (n = 3; diagnoses = traumatic brain injury, pervasive developmental disorder, hypoxic brain injury), whose biomusic was projected throughout. Caregivers participated in two open-ended, semi-structured interviews to explore the effect of biomusic on these interactions. Most caregiver responses to biomusic were very positive, and many reported that biomusic caused an improvement in their interaction with and perceptions of the person with PMD. By providing audible evidence of the changing physiological state of persons with PMD, biomusic may enhance the perceived personhood of these individuals and enrich interactions with their family members and caregivers.

Public health messages and societal discourse during the COVID-19 pandemic have consistently indicated a higher morbidity and mortality risk for older people, particularly those with multiple health conditions. Older adults’ interpretations of pandemic messaging can shape their perceived vulnerability and behaviours. This study examined their perspectives on COVID-19 messaging. Eighteen community-dwelling older adults residing in Manitoba (Canada) participated in semi-structured telephone interviews between July and August 2020, a period of low COVID-19 cases within the province. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify key themes that described participants’ processes of information interpretation when consuming pandemic-related messages, their emotional responses to messaging and consequent vulnerability, and the impacts of messaging on their everyday lives. Understanding how older adults have construed COVID-19 and pandemic-related messages, and the subsequent impact on their daily behaviours, is the first step towards shaping societal discourse and sets the stage for examining the pandemic’s long-term effects.

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