Soundscapes for storytelling and meaningful activity in dementia care

Researchers are investigating how soundscapes can reduce agitation and contribute to the well-being of people with dementia. We advance this research by exploring further how to incorporate the personal background and preferences of individuals with dementia in soundscapes to evoke storytelling and meaningful activity in their everyday surroundings. In this study, we assembled personal soundscapes that were evaluated in individual participatory workshops with six care home residents with dementia. The workshops provided insights into the experiences of people in the mid to advanced stages of dementia listening to personal sounds. The results demonstrate how these soundscapes evoked: interaction with surroundings; open-ended storytelling; activation through pleasurable experiences; and rest and comfort. We propose implications for design to adopt personal soundscapes in care to support engaging and meaningful one-on-one activities in the care home.