Using movement and music to deliver enjoyable experiences for people living with dementia and their carers

Lead Investigator: Professor Nicola Carey

Institution: University of Highlands and Islands

Grant type: PhD Studentship

Start date: August 2022

Duration: 36 months

Amount: £78,155.00

Project summary:

Music can have many benefits in dementia care, and imitative movement (making movements in response to music which are copied back by the carer) has been shown to be an effective tool to learn, understand and remember, and help with social bonding. However, imitative movement has not been well researched in dementia specifically. 

Professor Carey’s research will investigate the benefits of imitative movement in dementia care to find out whether movement can help a person with dementia to communicate better, have better relationships with their carers, and whether this would be a helpful activity for people living in rural areas, or for those hard of hearing. 

Project background:

Research shows the use of music in dementia care can be beneficial. Research also shows that imitating movements can help people with dementia relearn. Movement has been shown to aid memory and creativity. We also know that when people do similar actions to us it can create empathy and social bonding.

Imitative movement has been researched in educational and therapeutic settings; however, it has not been researched in the context of dementia care. The project by Prof Carey investigates a unique combination of imitative movement and personalized music in dementia care. 

What does this project involve?

Combining imitative movement and music is an intervention which involves the person with dementia and a carer, family member, or a friend listening and moving to music that has important meaning for the person with dementia. 

The aim of this intervention is to encourage the person with dementia to sing and move along with the music. This movement could be a nod of the head, or a slight twitch of a finger, but it could also be dancing. The partner’s role is to join in, copying and reflecting the same movement. 

Prof Carey will run regular sessions to support 50 people throughout the project. This will include 25 people with dementia and 25 people who are their carers, relatives or friends. The session recordings will be analysed to keep a record of how enjoyable and connecting they are. This will be evaluated alongside questionnaires and ongoing feedback from participants.

How will this project help people with dementia?

The results of this project will inform us whether combining imitative movement and music in dementia care is helpful and enjoyable for people living with dementia and their carers or relatives. 

This research could help to create a better and more satisfying relationships for people, give long distance carers a novel way to connect and enjoy time with their loved one, give insight into how better to support relationships between people with dementia and their loved ones, and allow us to know how to effectively use technology and music in dementia care.