Sing to Me

Time

4 3 2 1 Mid-Late Stages

Benefits

Participants

One to One

What you need

1. Printed song lyrics – ideally of the person’s favourite music, songs or singers

Intro

Our lives have many soundtracks – from Happy Birthday and hymns, to cheesy TV jingles and hits from the charts

Music a wonderful tonic for people entering the later stages of their dementia journey – especially if they have trouble verbally communicating or even singing along. It can spark joy and help trigger memories, even if they can’t communicate them

This activity is all about bringing the magic of music to someone’s ears, but instead of hearing it through a speaker – you’re going to sing to them. But not just any old song, you’ll need to do your homework to find the songs that will make them smile the most

The Activity

Prepare a selection of songs before the session
Visit the person in their room or where they are seated – somewhere quiet without any distractions
Greet the person by holding their hand or laying your hand gently on their hand or forearm
Sit at their eye level and ask them how they are. If they can’t respond verbally, look for any visual clues, such as a change in breathing, movement of their head, hands or eyes and respond by then letting them know how you are or talk about something that is going on that day
Hold eye contact and say you’re going to spend some time with them to sing some songs to them
Start singing the first verse of a song and see how they react – if they’re enjoying it, keep going!
Once the song has finished, have a few seconds of quiet before moving onto the next one
If the person seems relaxed, continue with another song
Get up and move around, dancing in time with the song, as it might be nice for them to watch you as you sing
Be expressive with movements that fit the song – for example, if the song says, “hands up”, put your hands in the air!
Carry on for as long as there’s time or the person is comfortable and enjoying themselves
Once the singing is over, take some time to talk about what will happen at the next session and let them know where they are in the day (e.g. “it’s time for your tea break soon” or “lunch will be ready in a minute”