Previous studies have shown the benefits of group therapeutic songwriting (GTSW) in the quality of life and well-being of caregivers of people with dementia. The objective of this study was to explore the experience of caregivers in a collaborative process of songwriting. Twenty-one caregivers divided into three groups received 12 60-min GTSW sessions led by a qualified music therapist. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze open-question questionnaires, a focus group, the last session video, and song lyrics. Four themes emerged: (1) GTSW generates a sense of connection, (2) it is a motivating, empowering, and meaningful experience, (3) it promotes emotional connection in a personal space, and (4) it increases well-being. Qualitative findings suggest that GTSW is a therapeutic tool that promotes caregivers’ connectivity, expression of emotions, and well-being. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Alzheimer’s Disease International. (2015). The global impact of dementia: An analysis of prevalence, incidence, costs and trends. London, England: World Alzheimer Report. Retrieved from https://www.alz.co.uk/research/WorldAlzheimerReport2015.pdf
2.
BakerF. A. (2013). The ongoing life of participant-composed songs within and beyond the clinical setting. Musicae Scientiae, 17, 40–56. doi:10.1177/1029864912471674
3.
BakerF. A. (2016). Therapeutic songwriting: Developments in theory, methods, and practice. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
4.
BakerF. A. (2017). A theoretical framework and group therapeutic songwriting protocol designed to address burden of care, coping, identity, and wellbeing in caregivers of people living with dementia. Australian Journal of Music Therapy, 28, 16–33. Retrieved from https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=359236443893558;res=IELHAD
5.
BakerF. A.BallantyneJ. (2013). “You’ve got to accentuate the positive”: Group songwriting to promote a life of enjoyment, engagement and meaning in aging Australians. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 22, 7–24. doi:10.1080/08098131.2012.678372
6.
BakerF. A.JeanneretN.ClarksonA. (2018). Contextual factors and wellbeing outcomes: Ethnographic analysis of an artist-led group songwriting program with young people. Psychology of Music, 46, 266–280. doi:10.1177/0305735617709520
7.
BakerF. A.RickardN.TamplinJ.RoddyC. (2015). Flow and meaningfulness as mechanisms of change in self-concept and well-being following a songwriting intervention for people in the early phase of neurorehabilitation. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, Article 299. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00299
8.
BakerF. A.Stretton-SmithP.ClarkI. N.TamplinJ.LeeY.-E. C. (2018). A group therapeutic songwriting intervention for family caregivers of people living with dementia: A feasibility study with thematic analysis. Frontiers in Medicine, 5, Article 151. doi:10.3389/fmed.2018.00151
9.
BakerF. A.Stretton-SmithP. A. (2018). Group therapeutic songwriting and dementia: Exploring the perspectives of participants through interpretative phenomenological analysis. Music Therapy Perspectives, 36, 50–66. doi:10.1093/mtp/mix016
10.
BakerF. A.TamplinJ.RickardN.PonsfordJ.NewP. W.LeeY.-E. C. (2019). A therapeutic songwriting intervention to promote reconstruction of self-concept and enhance well-being following brain or spinal cord injury: Pilot randomized controlled trial. Clinical Rehabilitation, 33, 1045–1055. doi:10.1177/0269215519831417
11.
BakerF. A.WigramT. (2005). Songwriting: Methods, techniques and clinical applications for music therapy clinicians, educators and students. London, England: Jessica Kingsley.
12.
BakerF. A.WigramT.StottD.McFerranK. (2008). Therapeutic songwriting in music therapy: Part I: Who are the therapists, who are the clients, and why is songwriting used?Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 17, 105–123. doi:10.1080/08098130809478203
13.
BakerF. A.YeatesS. (2017). Carers’ experiences of group therapeutic songwriting: An interpretive phenomenological analysis. British Journal of Music Therapy, 32, 8–17. doi:10.1177/1359457517728914
14.
BraunV.ClarkeV. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101.
15.
BrodatyH.DonkinM. (2009). Family caregivers of people with dementia. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 11, 217–228.
16.
ClarkI. N.Stretton-SmithP. A.BakerF. A.LeeY.-E. C.TamplinJ. (2020). “It’s feasible to write a song”: A feasibility study examining group therapeutic songwriting for people living with dementia and their family caregivers. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 1951. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01951
17.
ClarkM. S.BondM. J. (2000). The effect on lifestyle activities of caring for a person with dementia. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 5, 13–27. doi:10.1080/135485000105972
18.
CooperC.BalamuraliT.LivingstonG. (2007). A systematic review of the prevalence and covariates of anxiety in caregivers of people with dementia. International Psychogeriatrics, 19, 175–195. doi:10.1017/S1041610206004297
19.
DahlrupB.EkströmH.NordellE.ElmståhlS. (2015). Coping as a caregiver: A question of strain and its consequences on life satisfaction and health-related quality of life. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 61, 261–270. doi:10.1016/j.archger.2015.06.007
20.
de la Cuesta-BenjumeaC. (2011). Strategies for the relief of burden in advanced dementia care-giving. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 67, 1790–1799. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05607
21.
DenzinN. (1970). Strategies of multiple triangulation. In DenzinN. (Ed.), The research act in sociology: A theoretical introduction to sociological method (pp. 297–313). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
22.
DrenteaP.ClayO. J.RothD. L.MittelmanM. S. (2006). Predictors of improvement in social support: Five-year effects of a structured intervention for caregivers of spouses with Alzheimer’s disease. Social Science & Medicine, 63, 957–967. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.02.020
23.
FioriniH. J. (2010). El psiquismo creador: teoría y clínica de procesos terciarios [The creating psyche: theory and tertiary clinical processes]. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Editorial Paidós.
24.
FriedmanE. M.ShihR. A.LangaK. M.HurdM. D. (2015). US prevalence and predictors of informal caregiving for dementia. Health Affairs, 34, 1637–1641. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0510
25.
FurlongK. E.WuestJ. (2008). Self-care behaviors of spouses caring for significant others with Alzheimer’s disease: The emergence of self-care worthiness as a salient condition. Qualitative Health Research, 18, 1662–1672. doi:10.1177/1049732308327158
26.
García-ValverdeE.BadiaM.OrgazM. B.Gónzalez-IngelmoE. (2020). The influence of songwriting on quality of life of family caregivers of people with dementia: An exploratory study. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 29, 4–19. doi:10.1080/08098131.2019.1630666
27.
Garzón-MaldonadoF.Gutiérrez-BedmarM.García-CasaresN.Pérez-ErrázquinF.Gallardo-TurA.TorresM. M.-V. (2017). Health-related quality of life in caregivers of patients with Alzheimer disease. Neurología, 32, 508–515. doi:10.1016/j.nrleng.2016.02.011
28.
GoldC. (2010). Evaluating the quality of qualitative research. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 19(1), 1–2. doi:10.1080/08098130903579291
29.
GrockeD.BlochS.CastleD. (2009). The effect of group music therapy on quality of life for participants living with a severe and enduring mental illness. Journal of Music Therapy, 46, 90–104. doi:10.1093/jmt/46.2.90
30.
GrockeD.WigramT. (2007). Receptive methods in music therapy: Techniques and clinical applications for music therapy clinicians, educators and students. London, England: Jessica Kingsley.
31.
HwangJ.RivasJ.FremmingR.RivasM.CraneK. (2009). Relationship between perceived burden of caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease and decreased participation in meaningful activities. Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 23, 249–266. doi:10.3109/07380570903214788
32.
JolingK. J.van MarwijkH. W.VeldhuijzenA. E.van der HorstH. E.ScheltensP.SmitF.van HoutH. P. (2015). The two-year incidence of depression and anxiety disorders in spousal caregivers of persons with dementia: Who is at the greatest risk?The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23, 293–303. doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2014.05.005
33.
KleinC. M.SilvermanM. J. (2012). With love from me to me: Using songwriting to teach coping skills to caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 7, 153–164. doi:10.1080/15401383.2012.685010
34.
KovalevaM.SpanglerS.ClevengerC.HepburnK. (2018). Chronic stress, social isolation, and perceived loneliness in dementia caregivers. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 56, 36–43. doi:10.3928/02793695-20180329-0
35.
MahoneyR.ReganC.KatonaC.LivingstonG. (2005). Anxiety and depression in family caregivers of people with Alzheimer disease: The LASER-AD study. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 13, 795–801. doi:10.1097/00019442-200509000-00008
36.
McDermottO.OrrellM.RidderH. M. (2014). The importance of music for people with dementia: The perspectives of people with dementia, family carers, staff and music therapists. Aging & Mental Health, 18, 706–716. doi:10.1080/13607863.2013.875124
37.
Myers-CoffmanK.BakerF. A.BradtJ. (2020). The Resilience Songwriting Program: A working theoretical model and intervention protocol for adolescent bereavement. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 29, 132–149. doi:10.1080/08098131.2019.1642373
38.
O’ConnorM.-F.ArizmendiB. J.KaszniakA. W. (2014). Virtually supportive: A feasibility pilot study of an online support group for dementia caregivers in a 3D virtual environment. Journal of Aging Studies, 30, 87–93. doi:10.1016/j.jaging.2014.03.001
39.
O’ShaughnessyM.LeeK.LinternT. (2010). Changes in the couple relationship in dementia care: Spouse carers’ experiences. Dementia, 9, 237–258. doi:10.1177/1471301209354021
40.
PinquartM.SörensenS. (2003). Differences between caregivers and noncaregivers in psychological health and physical health: A meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging, 18, 250–267. doi:10.1037/0882-7974.18.2.250
41.
PrinceM.Comas-HerreraA.KnappM.GuerchetM.KaragiannidouM. (2016). World Alzheimer report 2016: Improving healthcare for people living with dementia: Coverage, quality and costs now and in the future. London, England: Alzheimer’s Disease International. Retrieved from www.alz.co.uk/research/WorldAlzheimerReport2016.pdf
42.
RothD. L.MittelmanM. S.ClayO. J.MadanA.HaleyW. E. (2005). Changes in social support as mediators of the impact of a psychosocial intervention for spouse caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease. Psychology and Aging, 20, 634–644. doi:10.1037/0882-7974.20.4.634
43.
SallimA. B.SayampanathanA. A.CuttilanA.HoR. C.-M. (2015). Prevalence of mental health disorders among caregivers of patients with Alzheimer disease. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 16, 1034–1041. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2015.09.007
44.
SchneiderK. J.PiersonJ. F.BugentalJ. F. (2014). The handbook of humanistic psychology: Theory, research, and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
45.
SchoenmakersB.BuntinxF.DelepeleireJ. (2010). Factors determining the impact of care-giving on caregivers of elderly patients with dementia. A systematic literature review. Maturitas, 66, 191–200. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.02.009
46.
Soto-GordoaM.ArrospideA.Moreno-IzcoF.Martinez-LageP.CastillaI.MarK. (2015). Projecting burden of dementia in Spain, 2010–2050: Impact of modifying risk factors. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 48, 721–730. doi:10.3233/JAD-150233
47.
TakaiM.TakahashiM.IwamitsuY.AndoN.OkazakiS.NakajimaK.MiyaokaH. (2009). The experience of burnout among home caregivers of patients with dementia: Relations to depression and quality of life. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 49, e1–e5. doi:10.1016/j.archger.2008.07.002
48.
TamplinJ.BakerF. A.MacdonaldR. A.RoddyC.RickardN. S. (2016). A theoretical framework and therapeutic songwriting protocol to promote integration of self-concept in people with acquired neurological injuries. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 25, 111–133. doi:10.1080/08098131.2015.1011208
49.
TamplinJ.ClarkI. N. (2019). Therapeutic music interventions to support people with dementia living at home with their family caregivers. In BairdA.GarridoS.TamplinJ. (Eds.), Music and dementia: From cognition to therapy (pp. 269–287). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
50.
TamplinJ.ClarkI. N.LeeY.-E. C.BakerF. A. (2018). Remini-Sing: A feasibility study of therapeutic group singing to support relationship quality and wellbeing for community-dwelling people living with dementia and their family caregivers. Frontiers in Medicine, 5, Article 245. doi:10.3389/fmed.2018.00245
51.
TatangeloG.McCabeM.MacleodA.YouE. (2018). “I just don’t focus on my needs.” The unmet health needs of partner and offspring caregivers of people with dementia: A qualitative study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 77, 8–14. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2017.09.011
52.
TeitelmanJ.WattsJ. H. (2004). Family members’ recommendations for achieving a mental break from caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s Care Today, 5, 252–260.
53.
TongA.SainsburyP.CraigJ. (2007). Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): A 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 19, 349–357. doi:10.1093/intqhc/mzm042
54.
UnadkatS.CamicP. M.Vella-BurrowsT. (2017). Understanding the experience of group singing for couples where one partner has a diagnosis of dementia. The Gerontologist, 57, 469–478. doi:10.1093/geront/gnv698
55.
WaligoraK. J.BahouthM. N.HanH.-R. (2019). The self-care needs and behaviors of dementia informal caregivers: A systematic review. The Gerontologist, 59, e565–e583. doi:10.1093/geront/gny076
56.
World Health Organization. (2012). Dementia: A public health priority. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.
