On 27 August, the first part of a new documentary from the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, DR, appeared on television. The series, "The Dementia Choir", follows 17 people with dementia on their shared ourney through ups and downs, getting ready for a big concert. The TV concept is well known from Norway, where it brought much attention to dementia. To harness the expected momentum, the Danish Alzheimer Association, together with DR, House of Song (Danish cultural institution with focus on broadening singing activities across Denmark), and the University of Aalborg joined forces in collaboration on the project "United around Dementia" (The Centre for Documentation and Research in music therapy at the University of Aalborg has developed training material for the courses in dementia-friendly singing).
The project, which is funded by the Lundbeck Foundation, not only focuses on broadening awareness of dementia and risk reduction, it also aims at inspiring people with dementia to join activities, such as singing in a choir, which both stimulate the brain and support social interaction. This is where the collaboration between the different parties shows its strength. While DR sets extensive editorial focus on dementia across its platforms, covering everything from podcasts, radio and news articles, to sing along-videos for use at home, the other parties focus on converting knowledge into action. Together with experts in music therapy from University of Aalborg, House of Song provides dementia choir and singing courses in their facilities across all of Denmark, as well as online.
The first courses target choir conductors, the latter target professionals working in nursing homes and activity centres. The goal is to help professionals start dementia choirs across the country and increase singing activities in nursing homes. The Danish Alzheimer Association, which also heads the project, puts full attention on risk reduction and knowledge sharing online – among other things with a series of expert webinars, the option to test your brain health, and a digital calendar, funded by BioArctic, gathering local dementia activities across all of Denmark in one single overview. The project lays a solid foundation for new risk reduction initiatives to come, and the Danish Alzheimer Association welcomes future collaborations.
