Ukelele band is helping people with dementia 'recover' from pandemic

With over half of people with dementia reporting they had increased memory loss during the pandemic, a ukelele band is "helping open up their brains again".

Based in West Berkshire, Helen Bates plays ukulele in a band called Juo Joy with Russell Timms.

The pair used to frequently play music in dementia cafes and care homes, but during the pandemic care homes were closed to musicians and entertainers to keep residents safe.

For the first time since the pandemic, Juo Joy was recently welcomed back to the Age UK dementia café at Majeski Stadium in Reading.

Ms Bates said: “We played a track called Make You Feel My Love by Adele. This is a song about caring for other people and you could see the lyrics of this song were not only for people with dementia who were enjoying and engaging with it but for the carers too.

“I could see the emotion in their faces. There was one old chap with dementia at the front with his wife, who clearly had tears in his eyes, he looked at her and sang the song with me.”

Music has a unique power to reduce behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (such as anxiety, agitation, and depression), provide a channel for communication with family members and carers and enable people to connect with themselves and those around them.

Ms Bates said: “Since the pandemic, I feel people are embracing music more now. It feels more important than it was before the pandemic. I think people are now ready to embrace everything.

“It’s lovely. It’s a rewarding thing for me to be doing because it seems to be really benefitting people we play to.”

’Music helps to open the brain up again’

Research by Dementia UK shows listening to songs people enjoyed during a certain period in their lives can have a powerful effect on their memories.

Hearing a song the person listened to often at one time can bring back not only memories but feelings that they felt at that time and help boost their sense of identity and self-confidence.

Ms Bates said: “When you play music from their era in that period, you bring them back to life.

“It’s that pertinent period where they are most vivacious and energetic where music meant the most to them when they were falling in love or making their way through life. Music just seems to reignite people.

“You can see it in their faces music has helped to bring back their emotions whether they are singing, smiling or they could be looking a little bit sad, music helps to open the brain up again and then they might be up to doing other things again such as have conversations with people.”

With restrictions lifted, music charities and volunteers say live music is “more important now" than before the pandemic and it is “imperative” live music should be welcomed back to community spaces like dementia cafes and day centres to “help address” the impact of lockdown and those who had to isolate.

’Musicians and music therapists are waiting in the wings’

Music for Dementia believe music isn’t a nicety, it’s a necessity for people living with dementia and states everyone living with dementia should have access to music as part of their care from diagnosis to end of life.

The charity has long called for greater collaboration between government, the music sector, health and social care and communities working at the grassroots to ensure everyone living with dementia has access to music as part of their dementia care.

Grace Meadows campaign director for Music for Dementia told homecare.co.uk: “The impact of the pandemic has been profound and unspeakable for many people living in care settings and local communities, especially those living with dementia.

“Now that restrictions have been lifted, it is absolutely imperative that musicians and music therapists are fully welcomed back to community spaces like dementia cafes and day centres to help address the impacts of the pandemic and people with their mental, emotional and physical health with the therapeutic benefits that we know music provides.

“Musicians and music therapists are waiting in the wings – let’s use their skills and talent to support us as we recover and rehabilitation from the pandemic.”

To read our advice section about the benefits of using music therapy for dementia at home, click here