Can Music Reminiscence Approaches Be Used in Moderate-severe Dementia? a Pilot of Music Mirrors

M. F. Camerlynck
O. Sedgwick
H. Lister

Abstract

Music-based therapies have been widely evaluated for individuals with dementia. Music Mirrors (MM) is a new music-based reminiscence tool that looks to improve person-centred care, encourage conversation and stimulate reminiscence. Since MM is designed for persons with mild dementia, this project looked to determine the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of the tool with three individuals with moderate to severe dementia. Over 6 weeks, 12 sessions were conducted, assessing for mood and behavioural changes during and after each session. Despite limitations to the project, overall results suggest that MM can be beneficial to people with moderate to severe dementia.