Researchers at the University of Nottingham are looking to form a new dementia singing group in Loughborough, Leicestershire, to further study the effects of singing on people with dementia.
The experts are looking for people with dementia, and their main carer, to join the weekly singing group for 10 weeks.
The transformative power of singing for people with dementia was brought to the public's attention in BBC1's documentaries, 'Our Dementia Choir with Vicky McClure'. People living with dementia came together to form a choir that has become a national sensation, performing at the Splendour Festival in 2022 and 2023. Their experiences showed the power of music to improve the lives and wellbeing of people with dementia.
A study of online singing groups conducted by the university during the Covid-19 pandemic explored how this shared activity can support wellbeing during a time of social isolation. Now, this year's study will allow for further research to examine the effects of group singing on the quality of life of people recently diagnosed with dementia, and the relationship between them and their carer.
The singing groups will be fun, informal and no singing experience is necessary. The singing sessions are planned to be hosted at The MMC, Mountsorrel, on Monday afternoons.
Most people with dementia are likely to spend years of their lives with a relative or close friend as their principal carer. There is a shortage of effective therapeutic interventions to people in this situation, but singing is popular, accessible to most people and relatively inexpensive to deliver at scale.
Professor Schneider, who is leading the study, continued: "The logic of its effect is that the social, emotional, and physiological stimulation helps to maintain mental functioning; an enjoyable shared experience may strengthen the caring relationship; participation can give access to information, advice and peer support, particularly for the carers; and long-term care may be delayed, with consequent savings to the state while meeting the preferences of most people with dementia to remain at home as long as possible."
Researchers will use questionnaires to collect information about quality of life, mood, cognition, and the relationship between care partners. They will also talk to people who attend the singing groups and observe sessions, to understand how people take part, what they get from it and whether they experience physical or mental changes over time.
People who attend singing groups tell us that they enjoy the music and getting out. Meeting people in a similar situation is an added bonus, some say. Still, we do not know whether regular participation in singing sessions makes a measurable difference to people's experience of dementia or their survival in the community. Moreover, there are many people who do not have access, due to lack of funding, as well as the lack of hard evidence to justify investment in this intervention. This study will help to remedy that.
Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the project, Preliminary Evaluation of Singing in Dementia (PRESIDE 2024), is a necessary step to a formal evaluation of the costs and benefits of community singing. It will gather essential information to design a definitive trial, which will follow if PRESIDE 2024 gets satisfactory results.
This project is funded under the NIHR's Research for Social Care (RfSC) Programme (Grant Reference Number NIHR202982). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
