Samenvatting

Building a sense of community and social connection through spontaneous music making.Interactive 'jamming' in corners, courtyards, corridors, bedrooms and social spaces between staff, musicians and older adults with dementia has become a regular part of Monday afternoons at St Vincent’s Residential Aged Care Facility in Western Australia in 2014. ‘Musical Melodies’ is an innovative 10 session pilot designed to expand the use of music from purely ‘entertainment’ to a creative form of self expression, with residents actively engaging, choosing, experimenting, improvising, leading and directing. This presentation will give you a sense of how and why this project evolved, the different musical models trialled, the resultant impact on residents’ emotional and social well being, as well as the learning to date and vision for the future.