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There is an increased need for accessible psychosocial interventions that support both people with dementia and their spouses. Recent research demonstrates the benefits of music therapy and caregiver-delivered music therapy for this population. This paper contributes to the emerging evidence base on telehealth music therapy for people with dementia outside of a COVID-19 era when in-person services were available. This exploratory phenomenological study explores the experiences of two couples who attended a six-week telehealth music therapy programme via two detailed case examples. Online semi-structured interviews with each couple were conducted pre and post intervention and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three shared themes emerged from the data analysis including (1) social isolation and lack of confidence linked to dementia diagnosis is worsened in rural locations, (2) song singing and song writing enables us to revisit happy memories, and (3) telehealth delivery increases access due to geographical location. The findings are presented in a narrative case study format to provide rich detailed descriptions of the music therapy programme and to illuminate the experiences of the participants. In both examples, telehealth delivery expanded access to music therapy (which was otherwise unavailable) and stimulated reminiscence which in turn encouraged meaningful engagement between the couple. The delivery of music therapy via telehealth, alongside in-person delivery, has the potential to expand access to music therapy to those who may not have access to or are no longer able to attend community support services due to geographical location, increased cognitive decline or reduced mobility. The successful delivery of telehealth music therapy is dependent on several factors including digital literacy, access to appropriate technological devices, caregiver support and level of cognitive decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1981, Cambridge, Massachusetts, became the first school district in America to replace its neighborhood schools with a "controlled choice" assignment plan, which considered parental preference and racial balance. This article considers the history preceding this decision to explore how and why some Americans became enamored with choice-based assignment at the expense of the neighborhood school in the late twentieth century. It argues that Cambridge's problematic experience with open enrollment in the 1960s and 1970s created a vocal, consumer-oriented, and politically active class of parents who became accustomed to choice and, by the early 1980s, dependent on its benefits. Moreover, controlled choice proved especially attractive in this university community because Cambridge had a constituency of well-educated, middle-income parents who possessed the social capital to identify the best educational opportunities for their children, but lacked the economic capital to use real estate to gain access to their preferred schools.

Person-centered dementia care has been extensively integrated into music therapy practice; its central aim being to meet the core psychological needs of people with dementia, uphold personhood, and contribute to enhanced quality of life. Furthermore, Kitwood's model has been widely referenced as the theoretical framework underpinning multiple studies with people with dementia. However, few studies explore it in more concrete terms, expand on how it is implemented in practice, or describe how "positive person work" can be facilitated in music therapy with this population. This paper aims to address these lacunae, by presenting a comprehensive overview of Kitwood's model; identifying how it has informed music therapy practice, and highlighting current applications of "person-centered music therapy" in relation to meeting the core psychological needs of people with dementia. Furthermore, the authors present practical considerations on facilitating "positive person work" in music therapy, drawing on their experiences of providing music therapy in dementia care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a community art therapy group for people living with chronic pain. Nine adults were offered 12 weekly group art therapy sessions that included art therapy activities such as guided imagery focusing on body scans followed by art responses and artistic expressions of the pain experience. This pilot group art therapy program is original in offering a short-term, focused art therapy group to support people living with chronic pain. This model of art therapy is replicable and may be of use to practitioners working with people living with chronic pain conditions.