Choral Singing Enriches Everyday Life for People With Mild to Moderate Dementia and Their Family Caregivers

Dementia causes substantial suffering for affected persons and their family care-givers. Because no cure is available, it is important to investigate how alternative therapies can improve life for these individuals. For the current study, persons with dementia (PwD) were recruited from a specialized Memory Clinic in Sweden to en-gage in a choral singing intervention for 1 hour per week for four semesters. PwD were encouraged to bring a family caregiver to the sessions; both were interviewed and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The choral singing intervention appeared to become an important social context for PwD and family caregivers and had a positive impact on relationship, mental well-being, mood, and memory. The intervention appeared to act as an enriched environment for all participants. Choral singing interventions for PwD and their family caregivers is a simple means to create a social context and improve general well-being.