The county has been named as the second location for a Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia.
Led by Age UK Hertfordshire and funded by the National Academy for Social Prescribing’s Power of Music Fund, the scheme looks to use music to improve dementia care – an area that is becoming increasingly popular following extensive research.
According to NHS England music can help significantly reduce anxiety and depression among dementia patients and help maintain speech and language. What’s more, separate research from Northwestern Medicine Neurologist Borna Bonakdarpour MD shows how music can help jog the memories of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and increase their social engagement.
Support for the new scheme in Hertfordshire has come in abundance. The project is set to be delivered by Hertfordshire County Council, Hertfordshire Care Providers Association (HCPA) and Music24.
‘We are very excited about working with our partners to deliver this innovative programme of work,’ Mark Hanna, CEO of Age UK Hertfordshire said. ‘We bring a wealth of experience from across the partnership in supporting people living with dementia, their carers and the wider health and social care workforce.
‘We aim to harness this experience and channel it into a transformative programme which will improve the lives of those impacted by dementia. Our vision over the next several months is to implement this work in Hertfordshire with a view to potentially expand beyond the borders as the programme progresses.’
Overall the scheme aims to establish Music Champions in 100 care homes, which will see 6,000 staff members trained to use therapeutic music techniques in dementia care. It is understood this will benefit around 5,800 residents.
Music24, a charity that specialises in music therapy, is set to lead the training programme. Care staff that partake will be coached in various techniques including passive and active music listening, signing and playing instruments and movement-based engagement.
Teela Hughes, CEO of Music24 added: ‘This is such an exciting and important project to be working on and we feel very fortunate to be able to bring this to people in Hertfordshire and beyond. Music24 has supported hundreds of people with dementia over the last 10 years and knows all too well the challenges that care homes face and how difficult end-of-life care can be.
‘With this fund, we can now bring more music than ever to people with dementia – and at a time in their lives when what they’re able to engage in is so very limited – by up-skilling care staff across the county.
‘Music, and the way we use it, has a beautiful way of connecting people. Building and maintaining these connections is vital for people living with dementia as their ability to communicate with loved ones and the world around them sadly breaks down. Using music to promote compassionate care will create better understanding and improve the quality of life for everyone living and working in care homes. We can’t wait to change more lives through the power of music!’
Once launched, experts from the University of Hertfordshire and Hertfordshire County Council Public Health will assess how the scheme is affecting staff, residents and care home culture.
Image supplied via Shutterstock.
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