Therapeutic Music Interventions to Support People with Dementia Living at Home with their Family Caregivers

Abstract

Music can be used therapeutically in home and community settings throughout the trajectory of dementia. Communal singing experiences offer opportunities for music participation and social engagement that are accessible and enjoyable for people with dementia at any stage of severity. They also provide a means of communication and facilitate relationships between people with dementia and their carers through shared and meaningful musical interactions. In the early stages after a diagnosis of dementia, supported opportunities to sing together, along with the associated prospects for peer support and social interaction, may enable family carers to care for loved ones at home for as long as possi..