Music for Dementia has launched a new guide that highlights how music can be used to help alleviate Covid-19 jab anxiety for people living with dementia.
Entitled ‘A dose of music with your Covid-19 vaccination’, the guide explains to carers how music can be used to manage the physiological symptoms and psychological response to vaccinations among people with dementia.
The one-page guide includes advice for carers on how music helps, with practical measures to take before, during and after the jab to manage the experience and make it more pleasant.
In recent weeks music as a therapeutic counterfoil to anxiety has been put into practice at vaccination venues such as Salisbury Cathedral, where organ music was played live to people awaiting and receiving their Covid vaccination.
“There is no situation that is immune to the power of music. We have seen this time and time again during the pandemic,” said Music for Dementia programme director Grace Meadows.
“The vaccination experience is no different; the calming and soothing properties of music can help reduce anxiety around having the vaccination, particularly for those living with dementia,” he added.
Although conceived originally for people living with this condition, the information in the guide is also useful for people with other conditions or impairments who may be distressed or agitated by vaccinations or unusual events.
Suitable for sending to individuals or their carers in advance of their vaccination date, and for displaying at vaccination centres, the guide is complemented by an infographic highlighting key points.
Co-producers of the document include: National Care Forum, National Activity Providers Association, Methodist Homes Association, Dementia Change Action Network, Live Music Now and Music in Hospitals & Care.
The guide can be viewed and downloaded here: https://musicfordementia.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/A-Dose-of-Music-1-page-document.pdf.
