Dementia care
Not just Vera Lynn songs - how to make the most of music
Mike Phillips, associate consultant trainer at social care consultancy Meaningful Care Matters, takes a lively look at the considerable benefits of incorporating music into dementia care
If music be the food of love, play on. So wrote William Shakespeare in Twelfth Night. Many of us are aware that love is at the heart of Tom Kitwood’s ‘flower model’ of caring for, and supporting people with, dementia. This article will reflect on how music in dementia care can not only meet the psychological needs from Kitwood’s model but also how music brings many other potential benefits, including for staff. Let us start by trying the following.
n Hum the theme tune to Coronation Street. n Name a piece of music that was played on your wedding day or a song that reminds you of a loved one.
n Do the moves to YMCA by Village People. n Complete the following: ‘Hickory, dickory dock…’
n Think of a song or piece of music that makes you feel happy. Now one that makes you feel sad.
n Sing All Things Bright and Beautiful silently. n Think of a piece of music that reminds you of your homeland or culture, especially if you were born outside the UK.
n If you have seen the film Jaws, recall the opening bars of music and how it made you feel.
I am sure you were able to do most, if not all, the above. That is because music stimulates your brain.
Music and the brain The incredible thing about music is that it uses different lobes, or parts, of your brain. As a trainer, when I undertook my professional training, I specialised in ‘brain- friendly’ learning - also known as accelerated learning - for my exam. The topic fascinated me as I learned that music could aid focus and concentration, and that a certain beat
per minute could help us stay calm and focused. This is called the Mozart effect. Different types of music can create an emotional state in learners - excited, happiness, thoughtful and quiet. If we connect music (auditory) with the body (kinaesthetic), these two memory channels can help us remember things more effectively – this explains why you could probably do the movements to YMCA. We are introduced to music and rhythm
in the womb via our mothers’ heartbeat and perhaps humming of lullabies. Here starts our connection to music and rhythm – my one year-old great niece Isla is already moving to music. Isla may not be saying words yet but if I sing “Wah! Wah! Wah!” she repeats it back perfectly. This continues as children develop into
teenagers. We learn nursery rhymes; we listen to folk tunes. Even at the end of life,
February 2022
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com
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