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The journey of MATCH: Reimagining music and technology in dementia care

Tracks
Stream 2
Saturday, September 7, 2024
12:00 PM - 12:20 PM
Room 2

Speaker

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Mrs Hayley Antipas
Rmt / Director
Attuned Health Group

The journey of MATCH: Reimagining music and technology in dementia care

Biography

Hayley Antipas is an experienced music therapist, music and wellbeing consultant, public speaker, and PhD researcher with the University of Melbourne. Her PhD research examines the effect of music therapy skill sharing interventions on the residential aged care workforce who support people living with dementia. Hayley has presented on this topic at national and international conferences.
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Phoebe Stretton-Smith
Research Fellow
The University Of Melbourne

The journey of MATCH: Reimagining music and technology in dementia care

Biography

Phoebe Stretton-Smith (she/her) is a Registered Music Therapist and Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. Phoebe has experience working in the areas of aged and dementia care, mental health and trauma, and is currently involved in research with people living with dementia, their families and formal care-partners.
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A/Prof Jeanette Tamplin
Associate Professer / MATCH Workstream Leader
The University Of Melbourne

The journey of MATCH: Reimagining music and technology in dementia care

Biography

Jeanette Tamplin is Associate Professor of Music Therapy at The University of Melbourne, Senior Music Therapist at Austin Health, and current President of the Australian Music Therapy Association. She publishes widely on her research and clinical work in neurorehabilitation, including acquired brain injury, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia.
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Dr Zara Thompson
Senior Music Therapist
St John Of God Accord

The journey of MATCH: Reimagining music and technology in dementia care

Abstract Overview

MATCH: Music Attuned Technology – Care via eHealth, aims to develop and deliver a new, consumer-centred mobile application that helps professional and family caregivers use music to support people living with dementia in both home and residential aged care (RAC) settings. The MATCH mobile application embeds two core elements: 1) a training program guiding caregivers to use music therapy informed strategies to support care and meet the needs of people living with dementia; and 2) sensor and AI technology to assist in detecting agitation and selecting appropriate and preferred music for mood regulation. The MATCH project embeds elements of co-design with people who have lived experience and aims to be accessible and transferable for people from a range of diverse backgrounds.

MATCH represents a paradigm shift in the way music and dementia technology is combined, and how skill-sharing can be utilised to enhance the quality of life of people living with dementia and their caregivers. This paper will discuss the philosophical foundations and implications of embedding music therapy informed strategies into dementia care, facilitated by caregivers using the MATCH app. Members of the MATCH team will present findings from several studies that have informed and tested the MATCH concept, including:


A content validity study in which music therapy and lived experience experts evaluated MATCH training content;

A systematic review examining interventions to mitigate occupational stress in professional caregivers in RAC;

A cross-sectional survey exploring professional caregivers’ use of music in dementia care and the factors that impact embedding music in RAC;

A trial testing the acceptability, feasibility, reliability and safety of sensor devices to capture biomarkers of agitation in people living with dementia with and without music;

An 8-week trial of the MATCH-Homecare App Prototype by family carers and people with dementia who live at home;

An 8-week trial of the MATCH-RAC App Prototype by professional caregivers and residents with dementia in RAC .



This paper will provide an overview of our MATCH journey so far, including current research, progress and implications. We will discuss the acceptability of the MATCH program, and will share learnings related to technology development, use with older adults and skill-sharing in dementia care. Given the rising number of people living with dementia, creative and diverse approaches are crucial to embedding music in aged care in sustainable and meaningful ways.

Biography

Dr Zara Thompson is a post-doctoral research fellow and music therapist at the University of Melbourne. Her clinical and research interests relate to using music to support people living with dementia and their care-partners, accessible music for adults with learning disabilities, and how music can create accessible and inclusive communities.
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