Music and Film in Dementia Care in Brazil and on Merseyside

Abstract

This chapter will begin by exploring the importance for people living with dementia of maintaining a sense of self or ‘personhood’, and how this is linked directly to wellbeing. It will chart how the initial pilot projects were developed to embrace older people living with a dementia diagnosis, and how we teamed up with different partners in Brazil and on Merseyside, showing how the methodology outlined in the toolkit can be used to foster this sense of self or ‘personhood’. In both geographical locations it proved vital to establish contacts with enthusiastic partners and to work closely with occupational therapists and/or nursing home staff. On Merseyside we also benefitted from the expertise of a local community cinema which had extensive experience of running dementia-friendly film screenings. Finally, drawing on concrete results from the use of the toolkit's methodology in a recent project that Lisa conducted in Brazil, this chapter will present some conclusions about how music and film can help carers connect with the person living with dementia, and be used as a powerful tool for restoring a sense of personhood, thus increasing a sense of wellbeing and improving the quality of care.

Citation

Shaw, L. and Giebel, C. (2020), "Music and Film in Dementia Care in Brazil and on Merseyside", Hallam, J. and Shaw, L. (Ed.) Movies, Music and Memory (Emerald Studies in the Humanities, Ageing and Later Life), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 109-142. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83909-199-520201005