Gjøvik is a municipality in Norway with 33,000 inhabitants. As of today, 750 people living here have a dementia diagnosis, and this number is expected to increase significantly in the coming years.
The municipality provides home nursing services, assisted living apartments, nursing homes, and a few day centres. There is limited access to adapted activities and social interaction, and there are few low-threshold services for this patient group.
My husband, Kjell, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2012, and in recent years we have missed services that are suitable for him. As a local politician, I have had a strong focus on establishing initiatives that we know are beneficial for people with dementia—initiatives that can slow disease progression and provide positive experiences.
Three years ago, we succeeded in establishing a Dementia Choir for people with dementia living at home in our municipality, and it has been a great success. Kjell looks forward to attend to the choir every week. Eighteen choir members, carers and volunteers meet once a week. They love performing and have taken part in three concerts this autumn: one large concert featuring three different Dementia Choirs and a well-known Norwegian artist, one concert titled “Salsa for the People”, and a Christmas concert this December.
The concerts are always sold out, generating income for the choir and enabling us to continue our work. This week, our Dementia Choir received an award—the Coop Award of the Year—worth NOK 50,000 (EUR 4,200). The criteria for the award were initiatives that promote inclusion and counteract loneliness and social exclusion, and it serves as visible recognition that the choir is important to the municipality.
