Response to Justine Schneider’s article ‘Music therapy and dementia care practice in the United Kingdom: A British Association for Music Therapy membership survey’

Abstract

Justine Schneider’s article is timely, as it coincides with a national initiative to promote and prioritise music, including music therapy, as a core and essential intervention for people with dementia at all stages of their care. The initiative arises from the Commission on Music and Dementia, funded by the Utley Foundation, and organised by the International Longevity Centre (ILC). Following the Commission, Grace Meadows, Music Therapist and previously BAMT (British Association for Music Therapy) development officer has been appointed as Programme Director by the Utley Foundation to work closely with the government and public services, to implement the recommendations across the United Kingdom. Recommendations primarily call for embedding music interventions, including music therapy, in dementia care pathways, building music interventions into strategies for people living with dementia including appointing local music ambassadors, and for more research in the field. The results of the BAMT survey reported here in Schneider’s article contributed to the outcomes of the consultation process and resulting strategy document launched in the House of Lords in January 2018 (Bowell and Bamford, 2018), What would life be – without a song or a dance, what are we? – Commission on Music and Dementia, which can be found in full on the ILC website. The Commission gathered evidence from across the world including from Music Therapists and, although United Kingdom focused, it also represents the state of the evidence in music therapy and music as interventions for people with dementia. Schneider’s article reports the results of the BAMT survey and her reflections upon these; it is extremely welcome and timely. In this invited response, I aim to update readers on what has happened since the Commission, to summarise key recommendations from it and to provide further information, raise questions and challenges for the music therapy profession. Four Music Therapists were part of the Commission, and we had a general role in drawing forward evidence and information from musicians, including qualified Music Therapists across all training programmes. We also aimed to help the Commission understand the different roles and types of training needed for delivering music interventions, including music therapy, for people living with dementia. This included advice about stakeholders who would be able to contribute to the consultation process from a range of services, and teams, including calling for case studies. In the full web-based document (Bowell and Bamford, 2018), case studies from working Music Therapists about their daily work, both from the care sector and the National Health Service (NHS) are included. I would encourage readers to read the full document and to use it to help develop new posts in music therapy for people living with dementia, and to develop research projects. The Commission drew together evidence from all relevant areas, organisations and individuals, including from neuroscience, music therapy, musicology, participants in music and music therapy, people living with dementia and their carers. It also called upon leaders from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Health Education England, those responsible for Commissioning care in the United Kingdom, voluntary and statutory funding bodies and members of the House of Commons and House of Lords. It was heartening to hear how music and music therapy interventions were prioritised for people living with dementia in some organisations, such as MHA Care Homes, and how much acknowledgement there is across the board of the powerful effects of music for people with dementia; despite the recently updated Cochrane review which is inconclusive about the benefits of music therapy (Van der Steen et al., 2018).