“SOUND” - Training Social and health care prOfessionals in mUsic-based therapeutic iNterventions to support older people with Dementia

Dementia is a collective name for progressive degenerative brain syndromes which affect memory, thinking, behaviour and emotion. According to the WHO, there are about 50 million people with dementia in the world and about 10 million new cases are registered every year. The majority of older people with dementia (OPD) needs round-the-clock supervision and assistance, lives at home, and receive most of their care from informal carers (i.e., a family member, a friend or a neighbour). The specific symptoms of dementia (agitation, anxiety, irritability, lability as well as night-time behavioural disturbances) often entail high-intensity caregiving situations. Nowaday, there is not cure for dementia and the available medicines act on the symptoms of the disease not on its causes and they have many adverse effects. Non-pharmacological interventions seem to have positive effects on older people with dementia (OPD). Among these there are interventions based on music, meant both as the production of rythms and sounds and listening to them. The SOUND project wanted to design and test the efficacy of the methodology of a new music based intervention that could be implemented by dementia care professionals and not only by music therapists.

The consortium aimed at achieving the realisation of: (i) a curriculum for the training of dementia social and health care professionals and informal carers in the use of passive and active music making activities ; (ii) music contents and activities for OPDs that can be used (either in person or remotely) by both professionals and informal carers; (iii) a Virtual Music Circle (VMC), i.e. a digital learning platform, for social and health care workers, OPDs and informal carers; (iv) a series of materials for a European awareness campaign on dementia, with the aim of contributing to strengthening dementia friendly communities.

We implemented: 1) a training module for dementia care professionals and micro- consultations to informal carers on the use of music-based activities for dealing with their relatives with dementia and to the use of the Virtual Music Circle (see point 4); 2) an ad-hoc methodology for the assessment of the learning outcomes and for the assessment of the impact of the methodology also on the professionals' work-related stress management, self-efficacy and sense of frustration; 3) a music-based non-pharmacological intervention addressed to OPD; 4) a Virtual Music Circle. i.e. an interactive e-learning platform through which care professionals, OPD and their informal carers can easily meet and make music together whenever they want; 5) five video-lessons for informal carers to use the SOUND method and an e-learning platform for dementia care professionals called Virtual Music Circle; 6) a Europe-wide dementia awareness campaign based on the music performances delivered during the SOUND implementation phases.

The main results of the projects are: A training curriculum for DCP on the SOUND method including music activities to do with OPD, guidelines on how to design and implementing them A set of tools for the evaluation of the knowledge and competences acquired with the training Five video-lessons for informal caregivers on how to use music at home with older relatives with dementia A study protocol for assessing the effects of the SOUND intervention on OPD and DCPs National and International reports and ongoing scientific publication on the effects of the SOUND intervention A Vademecum for dementia friendly communities Three videos on dementia and music for the general public An original music sheet for voice, piano, violine and traverse flute that became the hymn of SOUND. The title of the song is "You are not alone". It is accessible here https://soundeuproject.eu/videos/