  Music is a valuable non-pharmacological tool that provides benefits for
people with dementia, and there is interest in designing technologies to
support music use in dementia care. To ensure music technologies are
appropriately designed for supporting caregivers and people living with
dementia, there remains a need to better understand how music is currently used
in everyday care at home. We aimed to understand how people with dementia and
their caregivers use music technologies in everyday caring, as well as
challenges they experience using music and technology. This study used a mixed
methods design. A survey was completed by 77 caregivers and people with
dementia to understand their use of music and technology. Of these, 18 survey
respondents (12 family caregivers, 6 people living with dementia) participated
in focus groups about their experiences of using music and technology in care.
Transcripts were analysed with reflexive thematic analysis. Most survey
respondents used music often in their daily lives, reporting a range of music
technologies such as CDs, radio, and streaming. Focus groups highlighted
benefits and challenges of music technologies in everyday care. Participants
used music and music technologies to regulate mood, provide joy, facilitate
social connection, encourage reminiscence, provide continuity before and after
diagnosis, and to make caregiving easier. Challenges of using music technology
in care included difficulties staying up to date with evolving technology, and
low self-efficacy for technology use expressed by people living with dementia.
Evidently, people living with dementia and their caregivers use music
technologies to support their everyday care needs. Results suggest
opportunities to design technologies enabling easier access to music and
supporting people living with dementia with recreational and therapeutic music
listening and music-based activities.
