Active Music-Making with Seniors Suffering from Dementia

The course "Active Music Making with Seniors Suffering from Dementia" offered by the Heyge Foundation in Thuringia provides caregivers, everyday companions, and music-interested relatives with a solid, practice-oriented introduction to musical care services for people with dementia. In three consecutive sessions of three hours each (on October 1st and 22nd as well as November 12th, 2025, from 3 to 6 p.m.), participants learn easily implementable songs and movement sequences that make everyday life in inpatient and outpatient care facilities more varied. The focus is on promoting joy, activation, and social participation, as well as competent handling of the particularities of communication in dementia. With the support of the experienced music therapist Barbara Cramm, group dynamic processes, personal engagement, and the practical integration of music into everyday situations are also addressed.

The Heyge Foundation covers all seminar costs and provides instrument sets for conducting individual music sessions, so that the learned methods can be immediately applied in facilities or private contexts. An open registration period without a fixed deadline allows participation from the project start on October 1st, 2025, as soon as the minimum number of participants is reached. Full 100% funding covers training materials and instruments; eligible for funding are private individuals with relevant caregiving or care-related backgrounds. To apply, the completed registration form is sufficient, which, in addition to contact details, also notes the interest in musical activities with seniors with dementia. This free further training creates sustainable impulses for care practice and opens new avenues for designing a compassionate and activating daily life.