9th May 2024 – Music & Dementia with Fi Costa

Dr Fiona Costa studied at the Royal College of Music. Her musical background, together with a long-held interest in improving the quality of life of older people, has led to several different initiatives over the years. Underpinning them all is a desire to address the loneliness and isolation so often experienced by older people. As a research fellow at the University of Roehampton, her principal interest is the effect of music on the wellbeing and quality of life of older people, particularly those with dementia.

Fi is a member of St Paul’s Church, Hammersmith where she runs monthly intergenerational café concerts that welcome people from the local community. She is a trustee of Embracing Age and the Amber Trust.

Here she tells us more about what we can expect on the day:

“Almost everyone enjoys music. It is one activity that older people, even those with severe symptoms of dementia, can join in with. They may be able to sing or hum or even play a simple instrument. With so many things that they cannot do, being able to remember the words of a favourite song or hymn gives them a real boost of confidence.

My colleague, Professor Adam Ockelford and I have been carrying out various projects in care homes for several years. During Covid, when care homes were closed and our research projects had to be disbanded, we decided to put together some materials that anyone caring for older people could use, irrespective of their musical ability. We came up with the title, Take Note: 100 Everyday Musical Ideas for Carers to Use with Older People. These are due to be published by Routledge in July. We hope that they will be useful for carers, whether in care homes or in private homes. Some of them are suitable for groups, others for one-to-ones.

I hope to inspire you to use music with the people you visit and spend time with. I will try to be practical and give you some ideas to take away that you can feel confident in using. Remember, you don’t need to be a musician. These tips are for everyone.”

Register Your Online Place

Thursday 9th May 2024

Afternoon Session: 1.30pm

Evening Session 7,30pm

Register Here for one of the above sessions.

We will send you a Zoom link for the event before or early on May 9th.