Singing for Connection: Therapeutic Music Session at Fairwater📍

Fairwater📅 23rd July 2025👩‍⚕️

Today’s session at Fairwater embraced the power of music as a tool for therapeutic engagement, emotional wellbeing, and social connection — all central aims of occupational therapy in dementia care.

🎵 Orientation & Engagement

We began the session with a gentle orientation activity, encouraging participants to identify the date and time, a technique used in occupational therapy to support temporal awareness and cognitive engagement (Clare & Woods, 2004). This helped to set a calm tone for the session and anchor participants in the present moment.

🎶 "Que Sera, Sera" and Rhythmic Participation

We followed this with a familiar group song, “Que Sera, Sera”, and distributed musical instruments to promote sensory stimulation, motor coordination, and group participation. Simple instruments like shakers and drums offer opportunities for non-verbal expression, rhythm, and shared enjoyment — important for individuals who may have limited verbal communication.

🎤 Fill in the Lyrics: Promoting Memory Through Music

The main activity was a “fill in the missing lyrics” game, using well-known songs from our singing plan. This task supported procedural memory — the kind that helps people remember automatic or learned tasks, such as lyrics to familiar songs — and often remains intact even when short-term memory is impaired (Särkämö et al., 2014).This sparked conversation, reminiscence, and personal sharing about songs and their meanings, strengthening both cognitive function and social connectedness.

🌟 Solo Singing & Group Response

To end the session on a high note, one participant stood and performed a Welsh solo for the group. This spontaneous moment of creativity and pride was met with heartfelt applause from peers and staff. Music offers not only connection but a chance for identity expression, especially in group settings (McDermott et al., 2013).

🎓 Therapeutic Benefits of Music in OT

Occupational therapists often use music as part of therapeutic group interventions for people with cognitive challenges. Benefits include:

• Memory recall and cognitive stimulation through familiar lyrics and melodies

• Emotional expression and regulation, particularly in people who find verbal communication difficult

• Improved mood and reduced agitation, especially in individuals with dementia

• Enhanced social connection and a sense of belonging

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These outcomes are well-documented across music therapy and dementia care literature (Särkämö et al., 2014; McDermott et al., 2013).

📚 References (Harvard Style)

• Clare, L. and Woods, R.T., 2004. Cognitive training and cognitive rehabilitation for people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease: A review. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 14(4), pp.385–401.

• McDermott, O., Orrell, M. and Ridder, H.M., 2013. The importance of music for people with dementia: The perspectives of people with dementia, family carers, staff and music therapists. Aging & Mental Health, 18(6), pp.706–716.

• Särkämö, T., Tervaniemi, M., Laitinen, S., Forsblom, A., Soinila, S., Mikkonen, M., Autti, T., Silvennoinen, H.M., Erkkilä, J., Laine, M. and Hietanen, M., 2014. Cognitive, emotional, and social benefits of regular musical activities in early dementia: Randomised controlled study. The Gerontologist, 54(4), pp.634–650.