Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Researchers at the University of Nottingham are calling for volunteers to take part in a new groundbreaking study to investigate the potential of singing to improve the lives of people who have been recently diagnosed with dementia.
The transformative power of singing for people with dementia was brought to the public’s attention in the recent BBC1 documentary, ‘Our Dementia Choir with Vicky McClure’. People living with dementia came together to form a choir and stage a triumphant performance at the Royal Concert Hall. Their experiences showed the power of music to improve the lives and wellbeing of people with dementia.
Now, a new grant from the Alzheimer’s Society, will allow for further research to examine the effects of group singing on the quality of life of people recently diagnosed with dementia, and the relationship between them and their carer. It is the first randomised, controlled study to focus on how singing can support people who have been diagnosed with dementia in the last 12 months, and their carers.
If the benefits of singing can be established scientifically, through this small trial and hopefully with a larger one to follow, it could help to secure more funding for singing. This would provide greater support for people with dementia and their carers to live well with the condition, for as long as possible. In turn this could help delay long-term care admissions and reduce the cost of health and social care.
Dr James Pickett, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Society, commented: “We owe it to the 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK to not only fund research to find new treatments, but also to improve support for people today. Alzheimer’s Society is committed to investing in, and accelerating, research like this study which can help transform the lives of people affected by dementia. At our Singing for the Brain groups, we see the positive effect that music has on people’s wellbeing and mood. We’re delighted to be funding this project which will help better understand the impact music has on people affected by dementia. But research like this simply cannot happen or progress without people taking part so we’d encourage anyone interested to get in touch with the team today.”
The research team, from the Institute of Mental Health at the University of Nottingham, is looking for about 80 pairs, made up of the person with dementia and their main carer. Although some participants, chosen at random, will be asked to wait before they start attending the singing group, everyone will eventually have the chance to attend 10 weeks of free weekly singing sessions, led by experienced musicians.
Researchers will use questionnaires to collect information about quality of life, mood, cognition and the relationship between care partners. They will also talk to people who attend the singing groups and observe sessions, to understand how people take part, what they get from it and whether they change over time.
The singing groups will be fun, informal and no singing experience is necessary. The sessions will be held in Mapperley initially, with more starting in the Mansfield area later in the year.
For further information or to participate, call 0115 748 4315 or 07971 007 345. Email: preside.research@nottingham.ac.uk
Nasreen Suleman - Media Relations Manager, Faculty of Social Sciences
Email: nasreen.suleman@nottingham.ac.uk
Phone: 0115 951 5793
Location: C4, Pope Building, University Park, Nottingham,NG7 2RD
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Notes to editors:
The University of Nottingham is a research-intensive university with a proud heritage, consistently ranked among the
world's top 100. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our 44,000 students - Nottingham was named both Sports and International University of the Year in the 2019 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, was awarded gold in the
TEF 2017 and features in the top 25 of all
three major UK rankings. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement. We are ranked eighth for research power in the UK according to
REF 2014. We have
six beacons of research excellence helping to transform lives and change the world; we are also a major employer, proud of our Athena SWAN silver award, and a key industry partner- locally and globally.