Music, Dementia, Technology

How can we harness emerging technologies to boost opportunities for older adults living with dementia to interact with music? In this short film, Dr Jennifer MacRitchie and colleagues from the University of Sheffield introduce their 'Music, Dementia and Technology' project, and showcase their work with community groups and care home residents to develop new musical instruments and devices that enable people living with dementia to interact with music.

The interdisciplinary Music, Dementia, Technology project is a collaboration across engineering, music, and psychology. Its aims are:

1. To evidence the needs, rewards and barriers for older adults with cognitive impairments and their carers in using musical interfaces
2. To develop tools and technologies to facilitate music interaction
3. To analyse how these interfaces can be optimised for maximum usage and enjoyment, sense of wellbeing, agency, and social integration.

To fulfil these aims, the team have been developing new, and adapting existing, devices to allow opportunities for agency, creativity, and relationality in living with dementia. They take a participatory approach in developing these devices in collaboration with people living with dementia, both in the community and those who live in residential care.