In social work, often the conversation is the one through which the process takes place. On the basis of experience, I feel that sometimes words are not necessary, sometimes the sound of music can exceed the words we express, sometimes music can also be the one that encourages words.
I had musical workshops in the elderly care home of Peter Uzar Tržič. Workshops were held once a week for 3 months with two groups with three members who have dementia. I used structured and unstructured music therapy techniques.
I investigated the effects of the performance of musical workshops on individuals with dementia. I was interested in how music influences on their activity in speech and in music, how it affects the social interactions of individuals in the group, how the music stimulates the individual's response, and what are the outcomes of workshops on different groups of individuals.
Qualitative research includes 6 individuals with dementia who live in elderly care home of Peter Uzar Tržič. I gained the data by observing with full participation and found out that the effects of music workshops are visible in activities, responses and social interactions, and that these effects depend on individuals and the period of dementia. The research shows that through workshops there are changes nevertheless people have dementia, which hinders short-term memory.
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