Music for Dementia urges young people to help bridge the digital divide after speaking to 1000 carers of people with dementia for its new report, The Music Sounds Better With You, released during World Alzheimer’s Month (September)
Gen Z and Gen A may not be the main care givers in most families affected by dementia, but a new report suggests they can play a valuable role in dementia care simply by sharing their knowledge of music and technology.
The Music Sounds Better With You, is the new report from Music for Dementia – a campaign to make music an integral part of dementia care – drafted after speaking to 1000 non-professional carers of people with dementia.
It revealed that almost half (47%) felt that music can help reached a loved one and turn a day around. But while 80% of care givers are using music as a tool to support their dementia care, only 61% feel very confident using technology, leaving 39% who may not be able benefit from streaming services that require technology such as Spotify or web-based technologies such as m4d Radio and Music Can.
“It’s fantastic to see so many carers using the power of music at home as part of their care. Technology plays a crucial part in providing personalised and accessible music, but our new report highlights a worrying digital divide which is preventing some carers from harnessing music’s full potential.” said Sarah Metcalfe, Managing Director at Music for Dementia.
“The good news is that help is at hand. Young people might not think they have a vital role to play in dementia care, but Gen Z and Gen A can make an important contribution just by using their tech knowledge. They can compile playlists of meaningful music, set up streaming services and teach older generations how to access them. These simple things can help turn a bad day into a better one.”
Evidence shows music can help people living with dementia by reducing behavioural symptoms such as agitation and aggression.[1] It can also improve quality of life, reduce depression and the need for antipsychotic medication.[2] [3] For carers it’s a helpful tool that can change moods, create moments of joy and points of connection with loved ones.
Music for Dementia’s report highlights a worrying digital divide amongst carers based upon age, ethnicity and income. 79% of 18–24-year-olds are confidently using technology with ease, compared with just 35% of 65–74-year-olds. Young male carers are most confident of all - 75% feel very comfortable using technology compared to the average of all respondents. Grandchildren with caring responsibilities were regularly using streaming services (76%) compared to only 31% of spouses.
The report reveals that ethnic minority carers may be up to 30% more likely to face challenges when adopting new technologies, but demonstrating the powerful role of the community for this group of carers, 40% reported to relying on community networks for technology support.
Economic factors were also found to affect technology usage, with higher-income households more likely to use advanced technologies. 34% of households with a combined income over £50,000 reported regularly using smart home devices, compared to just 24% of households of less than £50,000.
Personal playlists emerged as a powerful tool for home carers, made up of music and tunes that are meaningful to the individual. They can be used as a part of a method called ‘therapeutic scheduling’ based on research from Stanford university, where music is played 30 minutes before difficult times or activities. What’s more, research has shown that listening to personally meaningful music helps boost brain function for people with early Alzheimer's disease.[4]
Yet not everyone knows how to make a playlist. 43% of grandchildren responded that they listen to or make playlists all the time, compared to just 23% of spouses. A troubling 31% of spouses of people with dementia reported never making a playlist because they don’t know how to make one.
The Music Sounds Better With You report has four recommendations aimed at making musical tools more accessible to all including addressing the digital divide. It calls for enhanced and standardised education and training for all health and social care professionals, alongside distinct funding and development of music activity within dementia care strategies. The report also wants more effort into targeting and upskilling digitally excluded demographic groups through community and peer-to-peer focused learning lessons, with specific emphasis on intergenerational music projects.
Sarah continues: “We have seen great progress over the past ten years in the music and dementia sphere, with growing recognition of music’s unique power for people living with dementia. 47% of carers we spoke to agree music can turn a bad day around. That’s huge when you are caring for someone with dementia. But it needs to be accessible for all. The recommendations in our report are designed to break down the digital divide and enable all carers to have the tools and confidence to use music as part of their daily care.”
The Music Sounds Better With You report was written by Ellen Bassam, Research and Communications Officer at Music for Dementia. It is the first in a series of reports Music for Dementia will publish based upon an extensive representation study and research amongst 1,000 carers of people living with dementia.
Ellen comments: “Our research has uncovered a wealth of insights into the experience of people caring for people with dementia. The data shows that there’s an expanding network of non-traditional carers who have diverse experiences and unique challenges. Music for Dementia intend to publish two additional reports exploring these insights further. It is also committed to making its raw data available to any organisation that may benefit from reviewing this wealth of research.”
