Does a ‘Singing Together Group’ improve the quality of life of people with a dementia and their carers? A pilot evaluation study

Abstract

Ten people with dementia (PWD) and their family carers participated in a Singing Together Group for 10 weeks and measures of mood, quality of life, PWD's behavioural and psychological problems, activities of daily living and cognitive status were measured at pre, post and 10-week follow-up. Engagement levels were monitored during the sessions and care partners asked to rate each session. Additional qualitative information was obtained through interview pre-post and at follow-up and subjected to thematic analysis. The results showed that PWD were deteriorating slowly over the course of the study on all measures but that they and their carers' quality of life remained relatively stable. Engagement levels during the group were very high and attendance excellent. Qualitative data gave strong support to the group having promoted wellbeing of all participants and Nolan's 'Senses Framework' was used to explore this further. Future research directions are suggested.

Older people’s motivations for participating in community singing in Australia

“…They were no longer strangers as one stated, they 'recognized each other'. Given the fact that the older people often experience loss and grief of loved ones such as family members or friends (Flood 2005), the social aspect of singing group attendance seemed to provide them with the much-needed psychosocial support, which is also congruent with previous findings about social benefits of choir participation (Bailey and Davidson 2005;Camic et al 2011;Creech et al 2013;Hillman 2002;Joseph 2009;Lally 2009;Lehmberg and Fung 2010;Livesey et al 2012;Gembris 2012). It was clear that they were motivated by this experience of fellowship, such that they kept investing their time and efforts to attend the singing group.…”

“…Previous research has highlighted positive social consequences associated with participating in music for older people, such as socializing with others, feeling supported and experiencing belonging and group membership (Livesey et al 2012;Lally 2009;Creech et al 2013;Joseph 2009;Hillman 2002;Lehmberg and Fung 2010;Camic et al 2011;Bailey and Davidson 2005). Musical activities provide a structure and offer a way to sustain social interaction with others (Gembris 2012).…”

Viewing and making art together: a multi-session art-gallery-based intervention for people with dementia and their carers

“…Recent research involving PWD and carers in singing groups suggested that learning new lyrics, melodies and movement was possible for people in the early and mid-stages of dementia (Camic, Williams, & Meeten, 2013). Likewise, in the present study, we were able to substantiate that the PWD were able to demonstrate new learning within a gallery setting.…”

The Unforgettables: a chorus for people with dementia with their family members and friends

“…In a study in the United Kingdom, 10 dyads of people with dementia and their family caregivers participated in a singing group that met for 10 weekly 90 minute sessions. While the quantitative measures failed to reveal significant improvements, qualitative data suggested both caregivers and people with dementia had positive experiences, which included a sense of social connectedness, focusing on the strengths of the person with dementia rather than the weaknesses and supporting their relationship (Camic et al, 2013).…”