Online Community Choral Music to Support People Affected by Dementia

What is this Study about?

This study will explore how online group singing can contribute to participants' sense of wellbeing, meaning, social connection, and learning. Participants are people living with memory concerns or dementia and their care partners, and must still live at home (i.e. not in long-term care). This mixed methods study will measure participants' (voluntary) responses to brief questions about their feelings before and after each rehearsal through visual analogue scales (quantitative). Participant engagement will be observed using the Group Observational Method of Engagement during rehearsals. Participants' (voluntary) verbatim narratives will be captured through interviews (qualitative) and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings will form the basis of the choir facilitator's doctoral dissertation and may be included in academic journals or community workshops so that programming can be developed and improved for people living with dementia and their care partners.

What Will Happen in This Study?

Through 8 weeks of one-hour weekly rehearsals online (on Zoom), participants will learn simple music, vocal and breathing techniques, and have the option of participating in a multi-frame music video at the end of the season. Participants will be invited to take part in simple visual analogue scales online to indicate their feelings before and after rehearsals (under 5 minutes). Participants are also invited to share their impressions in an interview after the 8 weeks are complete. An interview may take up to 30 minutes.

Who is Eligible to Participate in this Study?

You are eligible to participate if you:

- have memory concerns (whether or not diagnosed dementia) and still live at home (i.e. not in long-term care)

- are a care partner of someone with memory concerns (whether or not diagnosed dementia)

- are able to participate in the choir together in a pair

- have internet access

- have an interest in singing or music

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