Nicol, J. orcid.org/0000-0001-5532-8474, Loehr, J. orcid.org/0000-0002-9649-1451, Christensen, J. orcid.org/0000-0002-5373-5532 et al. (2 more authors) (2024) Duet playing in dementia care: a new therapeutic music technology. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 19 (8). pp. 3139-3152. ISSN 1748-3107
Abstract
Purpose: Supporting the relational worlds of people living with dementia, especially the spousal dyad, is a growing focus in dementia care as is advancing the therapeutic use of music in dementia care. This paper describes a mixed-methods, multi-phase, iterative research study designed to develop the Music Memory Makers (MMM) Duet System, a novel therapeutic music technology, that allows non-musicians to play a personalized repertoire of songs arranged as duets.
Methods: Following a pilot phase to iteratively assess and refine the MMM Duet System for recreational and therapeutic purposes, multiple sources of data were used to investigate five older spousal dyads’ experiences with the system, two couples living with dementia and three who were not. We assessed perceptions of task difficulty, joint agency, and enjoyment as well as therapeutic benefits associated with enhancing the spousal relationship and sense of couplehood.
Results: Findings suggest playing meaningful songs together is an enjoyable interactive activity that prompts musical reminiscence, involves joint agency, and supports relationship continuity within a relational, positive approach to dementia care. All couples mastered the task, none evaluated it as “very challenging,” and positive couple interactions were evoked, commonly before and after playing the duets.
Conclusions: The MMM Duet System is recommended for further research and development as an innovative way to support couples living with dementia with commercial implications, and as a new music technology suitable for use as a research tool.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Authors. Except as otherwise noted, this author-accepted version of a journal article published in Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology is made available via the University of Sheffield Research Publications and Copyright Policy under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Keywords: | Music technology; caregiver support; dementia care; dyad music-making; joint agency; musical reminiscence; relationship continuity |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Sheffield) > Department of Music (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 17 Sep 2024 07:33 |
Last Modified: | 20 Nov 2024 12:41 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Informa UK Limited |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/17483107.2024.2351498 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:217320 |
Download
Filename: DuetPlayingInDementiaCare_ANewTherapeuticMusicTechnology.pdf
Licence: CC-BY 4.0