Following its successful bid earlier this year to launch the UK’s First Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia – having secured major financial support from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, The NHS in Greater Manchester and The Power of Music Fund from the National Association of Social Prescribing – Manchester Camerata is bringing its Music in Mind programme for people living with dementia to all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs in partnership with The Alzheimer’s Society and the University of Manchester.
Music Cafés for people living with dementia and their carers will run weekly in community centres, church halls and dementia support groups in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan & Leigh. Each Music Café provides in the moment’ person-centered care for people living with dementia based upon Camerata’s award winning Music in Mind techniques.
Manchester Camerata believes everyone deserves access to this life changing support. At each Music Café- participants – ie those living with dementia and their carers – are invited to take part in music making using a wide range of percussive instruments, with no previous musical experience needed. The sessions create a meaningful conversation without words.
As part of this Centre of Excellence café initiative across Greater Manchester, Camerata will also train over 300 members of the public (to be called Music Champions) in their Music in Mind techniques, eventually enabling them to run their own Music Cafés.
To help recruit these Music Champions and set up Music Cafés, Manchester Camerata will be working with local partners in each borough, including Age UK, Mind, Together Dementia Support, HMR Circle and Bolton Dementia Support. The training of Music Champions to run these sessions will directly support over 1,000 people living with dementia in Greater Manchester over the next three years.
Together Manchester Camerata and Alzheimer’s Society – who will be upscaling their weekly Singing for The Brain sessions – will collaborate with The University of Manchester and NHS GM to undertake anonymized data-driven research into the impact of these music sessions for people living with dementia.
The aim of the Centre of Excellence is the creation of a true partnership between health and care providers, voluntary organisations, music providers and dementia support organisations. It will test new approaches to embedding music as part of dementia care, gather evidence of cost savings for the NHS and design new models of care which could be scaled up and spread across England.
Mayor Andy Burnham said: “I know from my own experience how tough dementia can be for families. Sadly, too many people across Greater Manchester will know the pain and the frustration of seeing a loved one going through this disease. But they will also know the dedication and compassion of those doing all they can to care for the people affected.
“The work that Manchester Camerata and its partners are doing to improve lives and embed music into dementia healthcare is more important than ever. These music cafes will offer crucial support for people living with dementia across our city-region and provide a national model for a more integrated approach to health and social care policies.”
Janet Fulton, principal percussion with Manchester Camerata and Music in Mind practitioner added: “Running these dementia Music Cafés for over a decade in care homes, community groups and supported living settings, has been one of the greatest highlights, and most rewarding part of my career. Witnessing first-hand the impact and pure joy that our wonderful participants experience through them leading our musical interaction with instruments, gestures and sounds, is a real privilege.
“To see their carers visibly relax during these sessions and help them reconnect with their loved ones and residents through music is an incredible honour and such a special opportunity as a musician. I have been able to witness first-hand the real transformative effect music has on people’s lives, and how music fundamentally is about communication.”
Manchester Camerata’s Music in Mind dementia Music Cafés will run weekly across all ten boroughs from this week commencing 14th October. For further details of timings and venues please visit MusicinMind.org.
