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Dementia is a syndrome (a group of related symptoms) that is associated with a progressive decline of the brain and its functions. These include:

• thinking
• language
• memory
• understanding
• judgment

There are a number of effective strategies that can help people to cope better with their symptoms and improve their quality of life. These may include medication, psychological treatments (such as cognitive stimulation exercises to improve memory) and exercise therapy.

There is no scientific evidence that singing is an effective treatment, but it can improve the quality of life for people with dementia. There is anecdotal evidence (people talking about their experiences) from people with dementia and carers that it helps them to feel better.

Responding to music

The aims of the Singing for the Brain groups are to improve confidence, self-esteem and quality of life. Chreanne Montgomery-Smith, of the Alzheimer’s Society, helped to devise the Singing for the Brain sessions in 2003 after noticing how some people with dementia in a nursing home responded to singing.

Chreanne explains: “I started doing a range of activities in the nursing home. One of them was a quiz game, which involved playing familiar tunes. The first week I did it nobody sang, and the second week a few people joined in. By the third week, everybody was singing.

"One lady sang so much – she knew every song in the quiz, and remembered, and sang them all. She felt very proud. And she was somebody who didn’t know her own name. It made me realise that people with dementia had a special ability to remember songs. It seemed to me a way of giving people confidence.”

Getting together to sing

With the help of a music educator, Dr Nicholas Brennan, Chreanne set up a pilot singing group for three weeks to see whether people with dementia and their carers would find it worthwhile. People with dementia were able to recall songs that they knew, and to learn a song they had never heard before.

Feedback from carers and questionnaires after the pilot groups showed that carers and people with dementia were enjoying the sessions. There are now around 30 Singing for the Brain groups across the country. They are free and open to anyone who has been diagnosed with dementia.

“Singing for the Brain is mainly about engaging people and helping them to feel that life is worthwhile,” says Chreanne. “I think the benefits are in confidence, self-esteem and friendship. Even if people with dementia can’t talk, they may be able to sing, whistle, clap or tap their feet.”