The Music Interventions for Dementia and Depression in Elderly Care (MIDDEL) research study is an important international trial looking at music in care homes for older people. MIDDEL stands for Music. Altogether 1000 care home residents in six countries will be part of the MIDDEL study. In the UK the MIDDEL study is being led by the University of Nottingham and Chiltern is delighted to be delivering the majority of the Music Therapy sessions in the UK.  

Dementia and depression are highly prevalent in adults and often coexist making health outcomes significantly worse, clinical management more complex and care costs substantially higher. Most importantly it can impact quality of everyday life.

We know the importance of music in supporting people’s wellbeing, particularly as an active participant, such as singing, moving to music or playing an instrument. Music sessions offer a non-pharmacological intervention for both dementia and depression in older adults. The MIDDEL project is testing the effectiveness of group Music Therapy and Recreational Choir Singing on depression in care home residents with dementia.

For each cohort four care homes are selected and randomised to receive either solely Music Therapy, Music Therapy and Recreational Choir Singing, just Recreational Choir Singing, or no intervention - to be the control group. The intervention continues for 6 months.  

We are just coming to the end of our first cohort of delivery and have just begun the second cohort.  Our Music Therapist Fliss will be saying goodbye to the groups she has got to know for the last six months - through the challenges of COVID.‍

"I didn't think I would become so attached to the groups, and saying goodbye is going to be really hard. Over the course of the project the residents have become more social, more confident and more alert. They sang, danced and laughed and shared wonderful and some very emotional memories with me and the other residents. It's been so rewarding and I really hope it's not the complete end of my work with these amazing people. I want to thank all of them for letting me be a part of their lives with music".

The next cohort will be led by our Music Therapist, Becky and we will be sharing more as she starts her work on the project!