Implementing person centred dementia care: a musical intervention

Abstract

Purpose – Recent years have seen the advocacy of person-centred approaches to dementia care. An important component of this approach has been the use of arts in the promotion of health and well-being. However, relatively little attention has been given to the barriers and facilitators experienced in trying to implement these types of interventions in a dementia care setting. It is therefore, the purpose of this paper is to help to redress this neglect by examining the process of implementing a personalised musical intervention for the clients of a specialist dementia home care service. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on interviews with five project stakeholders, the paper examines, not only the potential benefits to be gained from the musical intervention but also identifies the barriers experienced in its implementation and ways in which they could be overcome. Findings – It was found that although the musical intervention had a potentially positive impact, there were multi-levelled barriers to its implementation including issues of training, leadership as well as contextual issues such as commissioning and resourcing more generally. Originality/value – The key role played by these issues in the process of implementation suggests that practice should transcend its focus on individual wellbeing and address the wider factors that can facilitate or prevent its fulfilment. While the multi-levelled nature of the obstacles identified suggest that the implementation of innovative interventions within health and social care settings should adopt a similarly eclectic approach.

Benefits of Cultural Activities on People With Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review

“…Some included studies ( Argyle and Kelly, 2015 ; Sauer et al, 2016 ; Kontos et al, 2017 ; Ford et al, 2018 ; Deygout, 2019 ; Fields et al, 2019 ; Schneider et al, 2019 ; Wyatt and Liggett, 2019 ) mentioned the group size as an important aspect to consider. Most of these articles also indicate the benefits of person-centered approaches, something that can be related to the obtained results described as follows.…”

Research based theatre in dementia knowledge transfer: views from the front line

“…In view of these multi-levelled barriers to knowledge implementation, interventions aiming to address these barriers should aim to adopt a systemic approach, focusing not only on the provision of training of front line staff but also on the wider factors that can facilitate or impede knowledge utilisation (Argyle and Kelly, 2015). With these aims in mind, recent policy has made a number of recommendations, suggesting the need for greater rigour in the training and recruitment of front line care workers (Department of Health, 2013) and the establishment of "dementia champions" in health and social care settings (Department of Health, 2009).…”