SINGING AS AN INTERVENTION

Singing as an Intervention for People with Dementia



Singing as an Intervention for People with Dementia

Introduction

Singing and music enriches the body and soul of an individual. Both can be used as a means of therapy. According to different researches, music can decrease the level of discomfort and anxiety. This can be said about singing, as well, as it is connected with music. This paper is based on the singing as a means of intervention with individuals with dementia and presents with challenging behaviour. There has been insufficient research about this topic. Most of the searches deal with music therapy. As singing can be equally soothing as music, it can be used as an intervention.

In this paper, a background of the study is explained in detail. The personal reflection during the whole research has also been mentioned, about how the idea of using singing as an intervention for individual with dementia caught my attention and my experience with an individual with dementia. Past researches and studies have been discussed in details, in this paper. Four articles related to this research have been reviewed and the paper concludes with highlighting the implication of the practice.

Background

This assignment will study a particular experience of care which occurred whilst assisting a client with hygiene needs, which in turn, prompted me to question the use of singing during the intervention with people who have dementia and present with challenging behaviour.

Behaviours that challenge play a significant part in the care of people with dementia. Tarbuck and Thompson (1995) define challenging behaviour as “any behaviour that is unpredictable, frequent and of long duration and is distressing to the individual or a nuisance to others (Tarbuck & Thompson 1995, 30)”.

There are many well established ideas from a variety of psychological models such as Maslow's hierarchy of needs (Maslow 1968, 76) and Kitwood's enriched model of dementia care which suggest that Behaviours that challenge are as a result of an unmet need (Kitwood 1997, 23). Indeed the Sheffield Dementia Directorate uses the Ian James Model of care which encompasses the Newcastle Challenging Behaviour Service approach (James & Stephenson 2007, 19). This approach brings together many psychological models in a bid to identify reasons behind the challenging behaviour and to provide person centered care for people with dementia who exhibit behaviours that challenge.

In the recent past, challenging behaviour would have been treated with tranquilizers and antipsychotic medication (James & Stephenson 2007, 19). However, within the new culture of dementia care we now have policies and standards such as NICE/SCIE guidelines which states that we should use non-pharmacological interventions for behaviours that challenge. Guidelines suggest that we look at the reason behind the behaviour, looking at the person as a whole and various areas within the person. Kitwood proposes there are five factors, which contribute to, each person's experience of dementia this being; Personality, Biography, Health, Neurological Impairment and Social Psychology (Kitwood 1997, 23). If we examine and explore each area, we can begin to understand and workout what the ...