Tuesday, 16 January 2024
A study from the University of Nottingham is set to look at how music intervention can help those living in elderly care with mental conditions like dementia and depression.
The School of Sociology at the University of Nottingham is taking part in the international-scale study called MIDDEL – Music Interventions for Dementia and Depression for Elderly Care.
Researchers hope to discover how incorporating music into the daily routine of residents living with depression and dementia in care homes affects their symptoms and quality of life.
Academics at the University of Nottingham have partnered with local care home provider Runwood to provide and study the effects of music interventions. Researchers hope to measure the impact that frequent participation in music interventions can have on the mood of residents.
Professor Justine Schneider, in the School of Sociology and Social Policy, said: “We know that many people respond well to familiar music despite their cognitive problems. This study will help to understand how two approaches to delivering music affect care home residents.
“One approach is formal music therapy, the other is choir singing. We’ll also be looking at their respective costs in a follow-on study with the London School of Economics.”
The study is designed to compare different approaches to musical activities in different combinations, which will help conclude what a critical ‘dosage’ might be if effects are found. In due course, the MIDDEL study will help to figure out what kind of music works best for which residents and at what cost.
The MIDDEL study is taking place in Australia, The Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Turkey and the UK, with sixteen UK care homes chosen to take part.
The results of the study, which will include the UK data, are expected to come out in 2024.
More info is available at: https://www.middel-project.eu/
Story credits
More information is available from Professor Justine Schneider on justine.schneider@nottingham.ac.uk
Faith Pring - Media Relations Manager
Email: faith.pring@nottingham.ac.uk
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About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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