Why do we need this study?

The number of people living with dementia in the UK is estimated to be around 900,000, and most of these people live in the community. There is a shortage of effective therapeutic interventions to support people with dementia and their family carers. Singing is popular, accessible to most people and relatively inexpensive to deliver at scale.  The logic of its effect is that the social, emotional and physiological stimulation of regular group singing helps to maintain mental functioning and community integration for the person with dementia. An enjoyable shared experience may strengthen the caring relationship. 

Although there is a growing evidence base for music and dementia, there is a lack of large, randomised studies of community-based interventions. PRESIDE aims to demonstrate that it is feasible to conduct this kind of research by showing that

• we can recruit enough people to take part in the study
• we can retain them in the study for long enough to collect the data we need
• the study is acceptable to the participants, in terms of what they are asked to do

Who can take part in the study?

People who have been diagnosed with dementia of any type and who are willing to join a singing group set up for the study can take part, providing they speak English, are not regular singers already, and have a carer or supporter who can attend with them.

We plan to set up singing groups in Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.

What happens to people who take part in the study?

Participants will receive a visit from a researcher to provide them with information about the study. If they go on to enrol, a second visit will take place to collect further information. Follow up appointments take place at 3 months and 6 months.

The singing group sessions will last about an hour and a half, including time for refreshments and a chat. People who take part don’t need to have any singing experience, and it doesn’t matter what your voice is like. The sessions are intended to be fun and relaxed, and participants are not being judged on the quality of their singing.

About half the participating pairs, chosen at random, will go to the singing sessions over 10 successive weeks (experimental group).  We will ask the remaining pairs (control group) to refrain from formal singing activities in the meantime. After the waiting period, the control group will be invited to attend the singing sessions too. We hope that this approach will help people remain motivated to stay in the study, even if they do not attend the singing sessions straight away.

The significance of this study

The aim of this study is to test the feasibility of conducting a randomised trial of community singing in dementia. This would examine the effects of singing on quality of life and on the caring relationship. If the anticipated effects of community singing can be established scientifically through the PRESIDE research, with the real prospect of a conclusive trial to follow, then this will positively affect the opportunities extended to the growing population of people affected by dementia and their carers. In turn this could help to delay long-term care admissions, while reducing the cost burden on health and social care.