CIMTR Public Lecture: Rationale for the Use of Various Types of Musical Activities in Dementia Care

This presentation will bring together various data from the HOMESIDE study (Baker et al, 2019, 2023) and PhD research (Crabtree, 2023) to explore how music therapists and informal caregivers use singing, listening, playing instruments and movement with music to address cognition and neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia. 

There is a gap in music therapy research in how various musical activities are used to address various symptoms of people living with dementia (van der Steen, et al, 2018). It is also encouraged to be specific and clear when reporting a music therapy intervention (Livingston et al, 2014).

Results show that those using music have a proclivity towards certain musical activities which differs based on prior knowledge, training, experiences, and clinical rationale. Bringing these findings together provides important information for further training, personal awareness, and areas for future research which will encourage music interventions to be more personalised according to symptoms and aims, and therefore more beneficial for people living with dementia.

Our speaker

Dr Sarah Crabtree has a BMus from McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and an MA and a PhD from the Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research, ARU, UK. Sarah is a HCPC-registered music therapist and has completed additional training in Neurologic Music Therapy. She has experience working in care homes across the UK and was a PhD student on the HOMESIDE study which contributed to ARU being awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize 2021 for music and dementia research.

Sarah’s research has focused primarily on the field of dementia care exploring the use of various musical activities to improve or maintain cognition and reduce neuropsychiatric symptoms in people living with dementia. Sarah has a particular interest in involving the public in the research process and continues to progress strategic goals for public involvement/engagement. Sarah joined the King's College London in November 2022 and is based within the Cicely Saunders Institute and the Centre for Translational Medicine, King's Health Partners.

This event is part of the CIMTR Public Lecture Series 2024-25.