Our vision is to create a better everyday life for people living with dementia, their families, and those that are involved in their care throughout the dementia journey using the unique power of music.
Our vision is to help people like John and his family:
Imagine John, a man in his 70s who can get confused at times and who often becomes more agitated later in the day. He then frequently paces restlessly, following his wife around with talking constantly, and is sometimes hard to settle. Using the MATCH integrated sensors which have already "learned" what are typical behavioural patterns for John, MATCH can detect changes in his arousal levels and when he will be at risk of becoming agitated, which will make it more difficult for his wife to settle him. The app then selects suitable music based on John's preferences that contain musical features that "match" his agitation level. The music’s tempo, style, and volume will then be continuously adapted to meet his current needs, regulate his arousal, and help reduce his agitation. As John becomes more calm, his confusion is lessened and he is more able to interact with his wife in ways that bring them both joy and connection.
Approximately 90% of people living with dementia present with symptoms including agitation, irritability, and depression at some stage. Managing these symptoms can be physically, emotionally, and financially stressful for family carers and often presents complex care challenges in the residential aged care context. With the growing number of people living with dementia, there is an urgent need to develop tools to support families.
Our mission is to create an evidence-based eHealth solution that draws on the unique therapeutic properties of music to improve the lives of people living with dementia and their carers. The MATCH project team are developing and testing a scalable, accessible, acceptable, and culturally sensitive mobile application that will include a series of intervention training programs. The training programs will guide carers to use music more mindfully. Specific modules are designed to illustrate how music can be used to foster meaningful connections within families affected by dementia, to promote safe and engaging physical activity, and to decrease agitation and regulate mood during periods of stress. The modules also aim to guide families to use music to stimulate reminiscence and access to cognitive reserves, while also supporting family carers to complete important care activities such as showering and dressing. The modules will highlight what types of music and music-based activities are best used to meet different care needs.
Alongside carer training modules, we will develop new technologies that will detect and interpret changes in agitation in response to music interventions. Information derived from artificial intelligence will inform future music choices to match and then continuously adapt music characteristics to regulate agitation and other symptoms of dementia, across all stages of disease progression.
