Uncategorized - Aged Care Music Resources

Carrying the tune just a little longer Singing in a choir has given a group of Perth people with dementia a significant boost to memory, mood and social connections. Angela Pownall reports As the music begins, their heads lift and turn towards the sound of a familiar tune. As the singing starts, their faces light up in joy and recognition and the words come out easily. Something special happens at the Melodies and Memories choir every week. Its singers all have some form of dementia. Many need 24-hour care. Some are non-verbal. But with melodies come memories, the singers know the words and the tunes. They play instruments and even learn dance routines. The expressions, reactions and joy that dementia may have taken from them returns, albeit temporarily. Research has shown that despite the cognitive loss, people with dementia retain the ability to sing in a choir and the experience gives them many benefits. How this is possible is not properly understood. And a study published last year suggested that choir singing can improve the structure and health of the brain, particularly among older adults. Melodies And Memories choir founder and organiser Margaret Grubb witnesses the positive changes in people who come for a sing-song. “It has an effect on people with dementia and their memory, quite a stunning effect in some people,” the retired music teacher said. Ms Grubb started the choir in 2022 and now almost 30 people, including partners and carers, are regular choiristers. It is now one of about five dementia-friendly choirs in WA. “There was one lady who used to come through the door with no expression whatsoever on her face, just grey. Her eyes were lifeless, and as soon as we put something on that she knew her feet started tapping,” she said. The choir meets in Henley Brook in the Swan Valley every week and head out to perform in shopping centres and hospitals several times a year. “It’s given them a sense of being … to take them out. They love going out. The first timethey went out, they didn’t think they could do it,” Ms Grubb said. “But once they had done it, they were so thrilled because people were standing around listening to them.” Next month, the choir will perform at Guildford Songfest for the second time. What we try to do is to allay the feeling of, ‘Oh, dear, dear, poor them’.” Ms Grubb said. “We want them to see them as a normal choir and I think it opened a few people’s eyes last year.” Guildford Songfest organiser Yvonne Henderson said last year’s performance by Melodies And Memories had strong support from the public and other choirs. “It was the first time they had performed at a festival,” Ms Henderson said. “People came specifically to the event to be there for them.” “We had many performers who joined the audience, and they sang along to the songs, very softly, offering support to the dementia choir.” “It was incredibly special.” The choir’s practices are not limited to singing. There are percussion instruments, dance routines and exercises that are aimed at working and improving people’s memory and cognition. Dementia is the second-leading cause of death in Australia, and the leading cause for women. New research published last year found that the number of people living with dementia was expected to double over the next 30 years. WA was estimated to see the highest increase in dementia prevalence at 109 per cent compared to just 52 per cent in Tasmania, the Dementia Australia data said. -oOo- Singing has an effect on people with dementia and their memory, quite a stunning effect in some people. (PIC) Melodies And Memories choir founder and organiser Margaret Grubb. A Finnish study published last year suggested that choir singing could help curb this huge public health crisis. Researchers examined if amateur choir singing could improve brain health and cognitive function among 95 adults aged between 21 and 88. They used brain imaging to measure their brain structure and analysed how the duration of choir singing was associated with the strength of their white matter, which controls communication between different brain regions, and grey matter, which is responsible for functions like muscle control and decision-making. Choir singing was linked to significant improvements in white matter, particularly the corpus callosum which is the crucial connector between the brain’s two hemispheres. The association was stronger among older adults. The research team found choir singing was also linked to improvements in the part of the brain that is crucial for memory learning – the fornix – among older adults only. A review of 23 studies on singing and cognitive health, published in February this year (2025) said singing could address cognitive and emotional challenges associated with aging. “Among individuals with dementia, singing fosters episodic memory, mood enhancement and social connection, while healthy older adults demonstrate improved verbal flexibility and cognitive resilience,” it said. It’s unclear whether choir singing can improve dementia or slow its progress. “I’m hoping that it is stimulating the memory in the brain, I’m hoping that it helps them with their daily living, but then I don’t know that,” Ms Grubb said. But it is very clear that the choir has a positive impact on their quality of life. George Absolom, who has dementia from Parkinson’s disease, has been coming to the choir for the past two years. “I enjoy it, the socialising with different people, the friendship. I can’t wait for the next one,” the 73-year-old former project manager from Gidgegannup said. “You don’t relise how much (of the songs) you know until you hear it.” Gaylene Cooper, from Middle Swan, has been coming to the choir for the past two years with her 85-year-old husband Miles, who has a mild cognitive impairment. “Miles is not a music person necessarily as a former veterinary scientist but the songs across quite a few decades and he has a go and I can’t ask for more than that,” she said. Unlocking memories and potentially boosting cognitive function are important, but its combination with the social aspect could be the choirs biggest benefit for people with dementia. “It’s something they can do, and they can do together with someone else,” Ms Grubb said. “They’re not isolated, which is lovely.”

Melodies and Memories: The Choir That Defies Dementia

… carrying the tune just a little longer By GRAEME POPE 3rd SEPTEMBER 2025 The Sunday Times (Perth, WA) feature on the Melodies and Memories choir offers an encouraging look at how music can touch lives affected by dementia. What stands out most in this piece is the human element—ordinary people with significant cognitive challenges […]

Melodies and Memories: The Choir That Defies Dementia Read More »

Meet the Golden Ponds Village Voices

Uncategorized

O, do they love singing from their green songbook! By GRAEME POPE 13th AUGUST 2025 Recently, I had the privilege of visiting the Golden Ponds Village Voices in Forster, NSW. What a joyful day it was, filled with laughter, song, and the sound of voices rising together from our Green Large Print Song Book. At

Meet the Golden Ponds Village Voices Read More »

A Special Delivery to Doncaster East

Uncategorized

Bringing Music, Joy, and Connection to Aged Care By GRAEME POPE 18th JULY 2025 Recently, I had the absolute pleasure of personally delivering a box of our Green Large Print Song Books to a residential aged care facility in Doncaster East — a visit that turned out to be both meaningful and memorable. This delivery

A Special Delivery to Doncaster East Read More »

Why Portable CD Players Matter in Elder Care

Uncategorized

Bridging the Gap Between Technology and Person-Centered Care Written by Graeme Pope 17th November 2024 Music remains one of the most effective non-pharmacological interventions in aged care, particularly for people living with dementia. Its capacity to regulate mood, evoke autobiographical memory, and support social connection is well documented. Less frequently examined, however, is the method

Why Portable CD Players Matter in Elder Care Read More »

Graeme launching the Blue and Red book CD Collections in Perth, July 16, 2014

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Blue and Red Book CD Collection

Uncategorized

The Story of the Blue and Red Book CD Collections Fulfilling a Need in Aged Care In early July 2014, the Blue and Red Book CD Collections were introduced, revolutionizing the musical experience in aged care homes. These collections were designed as audio companions to the cherished Blue and Red Large Print Song Books by

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Blue and Red Book CD Collection Read More »

Aged Care Music Resources: Celebrating Professor Henry Brodaty’s Lifetime Achievement Award

Challenges Faced by a Producer of Music-Based Resources

Uncategorized

Quality Australian made resources like those we publish are a rare commodity in Australia. To this day, I am grateful to a wonderful team of professionals, both inside and outside the aged care industry, who have helped us put these unique music-based resources together. I could never have done it alone. Producing specifically designed quality

Challenges Faced by a Producer of Music-Based Resources Read More »

Music makes a world of difference to the elderly

Aged Care Music Resources

Melodies and Memories: The Choir That Defies Dementia

Meet the Golden Ponds Village Voices

A Special Delivery to Doncaster East

Why Portable CD Players Matter in Elder Care

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Blue and Red Book CD Collection

Aged Care Music Resources: Celebrating Professor Henry Brodaty’s Lifetime Achievement Award

Challenges Faced by a Producer of Music-Based Resources

It’s never too late to start a new career

The Case for Leisure and Lifestyle in Residential Aged Care.