MATCH

Music Attuned Technology – Care via eHealth (MATCH) is a project funded by the Medical Research Future Fund that aims to develop and deliver a NEW consumer-centred music program for use with people living with dementia in the community, in residential aged care, and during the often-stressful transition period from home to residential aged care. MATCH represents a paradigm shift in the way music and dementia technology is combined, as it will:

  • embed training programs that guide family carers and professional carers in the strategic use of music to support care;
  • use sensor technology to capture behavioural markers to interpret agitation levels and auto-suggest music using algorithms that learn the music preferences of the person living with dementia and then suggest music they may like and that could meet their needs at the time;
  • be able to continuously adapt the music to match and attune to arousal levels and reduce agitation; and
  • be accessible to culturally and linguistically diverse groups.

Over four years, four workstreams will work on specific aspects of the project to create training content (workstream 1), co-design the app features and interface, and test for usability (workstream 2), develop an adaptive digital platform (workstream 3), and test the safety, acceptability, clinical effects, and cost effectiveness of the app (workstream 4).

Visit the MATCH website here

A picture of an older adult and younger person holding hands over a drum.

Publications

Carrasco, R., Baker, F. A., Bukowska, A. A., Clark, I. N., Flynn, L. M., McMahon, K., Odell-Miller, H., Stensaeth, K., Tamplin, J., Sousa, T. V., Waycott, J., & Wosch, T. (2020). Empowering Caregivers of People Living with Dementia to Use Music Therapeutically at Home: Design Opportunities. Paper presented at the 32nd Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, Sydney, NSW, Australia. https://doi.org/10.1145/3441000.3441082