Carer Mentor Kinship: Dementia

Establishing the Kinship Community. #1 Collaboration

Building a sustainable community support network.

Strengthening our informal Carer Mentor network of connections.

Launching the Carer Mentor Kinship

Over the next few months, I’ll share articles about ‘Build2Care.’

This is NOT about growth. It’s about building empathy and inspiration together and, in turn, strengthening our community.

Our work will produce free and interlinked articles/posts/interviews so that we can continue to build Dementia insights for others.

This is not about signing up for a single collaboration. It’s about establishing long-term connections and exploring themes related to Dementia in greater depth over time.

We all have messy time constraints and unpredictable challenges that make planning difficult. This community collaboration, this Kinship, has no deadline, so it’s less stressful.

The Dementia Kinship will open to others later once we’ve road-tested the framework and dynamics. This is just one of many collaborations to come, to Build2Care!

Feel free to dive into the discussion and identify areas/topics you’d like to collaborate on and someone you’d like to work with.

This is part of the Build 2 Care section of Carer Mentor

Many thanks for your lovely responses to my invitation! I appreciate you!

The Collaboration Directory of Members

Please prioritise collaboration work with these members:

• Victoria
  writes Carer Mentor: Empathy and Inspiration

• Judi Bailey, M.Ed
  writes Falling Leaves

• Donna Baird
  does not have a publication at this time.

• Kirbie Earley
  writes The Dementia Chronicles

• Sammie Marsalli
  writes Inside the Life of an Alzheimer’s Home Caregiver

• Anna Du Pen
  writes Betwixt and Between Proxy

Collaboration Goal and Aims

Connect with one other person about publishing 1 item. There is no pressure or deadlines on when to publish. I will leave the ‘what and how’ to publish with you. Please start your discussion in the comments below.

Remember that you can publish and collaborate on articles with as many members as possible.

Through this collaboration, we aim to :

1. Build relationships with other members within this Dementia Kinship group.

2. Produce an insightful post based on some observations from the stimulus material for readers.

3. Build a Dementia Anthology of Kinship articles for others

4. Establish this Dementia Kinship group and expand the Build2Care support network.

5. Be ready to share learnings and welcome new members to the Dementia Kinship.

Table of Contents

A) Stimulus content for our first Kinship Collaboration

1. Playlist for life: Video and link to the website and the resources

2. The Extraordinary World of Music and the Mind. By John Colapinto, AARP Published November 22, 2023

3. The Wiserr Website

B) The Premise: Why Dementia and Music for a Collaboration?

C) Starting the Dementia and Music Collaboration

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A) Stimulus content I discovered for our collaboration.

1. Playlist for Life The website and the resources

The resources page is full of free materials to help you at each stage of your playlist journey, whether you’re making a personalised playlist for yourself or helping someone to make theirs.

Watch the 2-minute video below to give you an introduction, or jump straight to the section most relevant to you below the video.

2 The Extraordinary World of Music and the Mind. By John Colapinto, AARP Published November 22, 2023

It can remind you of the best days of your life. It can comfort you. It can even make those who remember little sing again.

3. The Wiserr Website click this link.

Written on the 12th August 2024 by Lewis Nelson

As the Company Director at Wiserr, I lead an innovative and impactful platform that provides information and advice on care and health services in local areas.

Music has the power to evoke memories, emotions, and a sense of connection, making it a valuable tool in dementia care. Discover how carefully curated playlists can enhance the quality of life for those living with dementia, offering comfort, stimulation, and moments of joy. Explore the best dementia-friendly playlists and learn why music therapy is becoming an essential part of dementia care.

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B) The Premise: Why Dementia and Music for a Collaboration?

In 2024, several writers and I demonstrated the power of music. I was also inspired by Naomi Feil's Dementia Care work with her ‘The Validation Theory’.

'Music Memory is more powerful than words.'

Connecting with Dementia Sufferers

These two pieces and my inherent love of music intrigue me.

How can we …

• be more mindful about using music to motivate ourselves each day,

• preempt the future fears we have for ourselves,

• or enrich our loved one’s dementia care today?

Music, is part of my DNA.

I hadn’t thought deeply about how I could PROactively use playlists, or use them with an intentional purpose.

I have a playlist I switch on when I’m changing the bedsheets. It’s an automatic goto action to make myself get some exercise and make a chore less dull! In my mind it’s a reflex to accompany the chore. I hadn’t thought about using it to motivate me, to trigger an action.

Now, I’m thinking about how can I create playlists for my own routine, to stimulate a positive response, and perhaps even start to hardwire my brain with specific songs, music for the ‘What if’ scenario of Dementia in the future?!?

Neuro-plasticity is an amazing concept and who knows the potential of what we can do later, if we pre-program our brains now!

I have four playlists that I’ve been using to accompany

• Morning with coffee

• Afternoon - creative minutes

• Productive beats to zone-into the task at hand

• Relaxation time or walking.

But writing this out, it’s articulating something I’ve ‘used’ unintentionally. Can I be more intentional, mindful about how I use music?

If I hear the opening bars to my ‘creative’ playlist, I realise that I have a more ‘opening up, expansive’ feeling. Listen to the opening bars of Alan Silvestri’s Suite from Forest Gump the first piece in my playlist below.

I feel the same when I play The John Dunbar’s theme from the ‘Dance with Wolves’ by John Barry (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra version).

What happens when we turn music from being an accompaniment or accessory into a trigger/motivator or intentional tool?

What happens when we are more mindful about how we react to it?

Do you want to create a playlist for yourself? Use the Playlist for life free resources to help someone else. Partner up with a friend/family or a loved one to make a playlist?

How do you employ music in your daily routine for yourself? Thinking of your loved one with Dementia or yourself do you know what motivates, makes you happy, soothes? Can you make a playlist to help future-you?

How can we ‘use’ music playlists more proactively? More intentionally?

Based on what I’ve shared about Music and Dementia, is there something you could dig into, explore, write about, or discuss with another collaboration member?

What could you explore?

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C) Dementia and Music Collaboration Process

Here is the Dementia and Music Anthology the destination for all published articles

Meet & Greet: In the discussion comments below, introduce yourself

1. Your name

2. Comment in 1-2 sentences about the content I’ve shared, the thoughts and questions. Something that piqued your interest

3. Now, when you have time, engage with other people’s comments.

Let’s be mindful of our limited time and energy, and let’s try to make things as simple as possible. ❤️

FYI Not everyone knows all the ‘Substack’ functions within our collaboration Kinship. Let’s help each other in our Kinship.

4. When you’re ready please confirm to me, who you are collaborating with

Just a reminder, that I’m still caregiving so I’ll do my best to answer everyone’s questions but I’m hoping we can figure the details out together!

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Thank you for being part of this Carer Mentor Kinship, to build a community focused on caring for each other, sharing empathy and inspiration around our Dementia experiences. I appreciate you.