Exploring the meaning of musicking for older adults in a care home

Abstract

Accessible music-related programmes are essential to the well-being of older adults. Although the role of music in the lives of older adults has been studied extensively in various settings, the purpose of this qualitative intrinsic case study was to explore the meaning older adults ascribed to musicking at a care home. The participants were older adults from one residential care home who chose to attend the weekly musicking sessions on Monday afternoons. Data were collected through interviews and reflective field notes. Five women were interviewed; two preferred individual interviews, and three wanted to be together during their interviews. The community music facilitators recorded weekly reflective field notes directly after each musicking session. The transcribed interviews and reflective field notes were included in one heuristic unit in ATLAS.ti and thematically analysed. The findings revealed that older adults’ engagement in the musicking sessions was sometimes challenging. However, engagement positively affected memory and facilitated connection and positive emotions associated with aesthetic and spiritual experiences. Autonomy and resilience led to well-being. This study could encourage community members, nurses and carers to provide accessible opportunities for musicking at care homes for older adults.