Just One Hour

Have you heard about our latest campaign #JustOneHour? The aim of the campaign is to encourage every caregiver, whether a care home provider, hospital team, family carer etc. to pledge to provide a minimum of just one hour of meaningful music a week for people living with dementia. Whilst we focus on people living with dementia as this is our area of expertise, using music in our daily lives can support wellbeing for all of us!

#JustOneHour is inspired by research which suggests that on average a person living with dementia in a care home receives two minutes a day social interaction. Increasing this to just one hour a week significantly improves quality of life by decreasing agitation and improving wellbeing. What better way to do this than through music!

In return for pledging to the campaign, we are providing every caregiver with a free digital pack with resources and information to get you started on delivering meaningful music just one hour a week (less than nine minutes per day). Myself and the Musica team are on hand if you need additional support, we’re behind you every step of the way.

Why Music?

Music if used meaningfully, can provide enormous benefits in dementia care. Here are 10 different ways that music can support the wellbeing of individuals living with dementia:

Mood – Listening to or participating with music can help to regulate emotions and increase experience of positive emotional states

Agitation – Familiar music can help to reduce experience of agitation by meeting social needs and supporting a sense of self

Mealtimes – Playing background music at mealtimes has been shown to support an increase in food and water intake

Sleep – Listening to music around 60-80bpm can help to lower blood pressure, relax muscle tension and support a good night’s sleep

Exercise – Listening to music can be a great way to engage with physical movement, releasing endorphins as a result

Self-Identity – Listening to music that we associate with meaningful memories can help to support feelings of self-identity

Memory Recall – Music that is meaningful can often help to bring back long-lost memories, and as a result can help caregivers have a deeper understanding of the individual(s) that they care for

Communication – Music can be used as a communication tool if verbal communication is limited. Likewise, you might find that individuals who find it difficult to communicate may still be able to sing familiar songs word for word.

Anxiety – Studies have found that listening to music can lower your body's levels of cortisol, a hormone that can contribute to feelings of stress and anxiety

Social Interactions – Experiencing music together can help to provide meaningful connections and improve social interactions which are much longer-lasting than the music itself

#JustOneHour is a revolutionary campaign, we want to start a movement of people making the world a better place for those living with dementia by improving their overall quality of life through music. Taking one small step, one person at a time, just one hour.

Share your story!

We are asking everyone to share their meaningful songs with us using the hashtag #JustOneHour. Here are just some of our ambassadors and supporters sharing their songs. We would love to see yours, and hear what makes this song particularly special to you.

Send your photo to [email protected] or tag us on social media and use the hashtag #JustOneHour

Facebook: facebook.com/musicacic

Twitter: Musica_CIC

Instagram: Musica_CIC

How do I sign up?

You can find more information by downloading our flyer (click here) or go straight to our campaign page – www.musica-music.co.uk/justonehour

We would love to see as many caregivers as possible getting involved with the campaign, let’s make a different together.

A big thank you to our partners

A huge thank you to our campaign partners, Xledger and Hallmark Care Homes.