It was the first time in India for the both of us, so we were super excited for months leading up to our travels; and after a 10 hour plane journey we made it to Bangalore, known as the “development capital of India”, yet a very green place with huge trees everywhere. 

Once arrived in India, it was definitely the start of a multisensory experience – from our eyes taking in the sight of a beautifully designed airport, covered in wood and plants, to hearing constant car horns beeping during the car journey, then onto tasting the best biryani of the whole trip at the hotel.

The next day was day 1 of the DemCon24 conference and there was a buzz of excitement in the air as we reached the J N Tata Auditorium. The committee of Dementia India Alliance organised this conference and it was the first of its kind ever in India with the focus solely on dementia.  There were many sessions at every hour of the day which were filled with presentations and workshops, and many stalls and posters displayed from various organisations and individuals involved in India’s dementia care sector. 

We were one of the many speakers participating at the conference and we presented about our online dementia and music training tool, Music Helps (India). We opened up the presentation with a short activity to help the audience bring music to the fore front of their minds alongside dementia, provided some background information as well as course details, showed two video extracts from the course, and reported on the impact of the course for participants and the people for whom they provided care.

On day 2 of the conference, we continued to network and tell more people about Music Helps (India). We were also delighted to finally meet in-person Music Therapist Purvaa Sampath, who helped create some of the role-play videos in our course.

The opportunity to attend the conference was extremely valuable in terms of connecting with other organisations and individuals to help create more awareness about the role of music within dementia care and gain more insight into care provision across India. Our next steps are to strengthen the new connections made and to see how Music Helps (India) will benefit from this.

After a busy start to our trip, it was time for a day to take in the sights of Bangalore before heading on to our next destination. Making our way around the city on foot, by Uber and auto-rikshaws, we hopped between temples and palaces, wondered through the teeming market streets (dodging the heavy rain showers), sampled more delicious things to eat, and even managed to catch a Bollywood movie at the cinema!

Whilst DemCon24 presented the opportunity to share Music Helps (India) with audiences new, we were looking forward to the next part of our trip, which would take us back to its roots.

After an hour’s flight the next evening, we landed in Hyderabad, ready to visit our Partner setting, Kshetra Assisted Living by Heritage ElderCare Services. Pavithra Gangadharan – the setting’s Founder – and her vision to see music embedded into the daily care of their 30+ residents, many of whom live with dementia, led to the creation of Music Helps (India). Now, three years on from its pilot, we were eager to get to know the setting, staff and residents for ourselves, and hoped to see how music featured in their daily care.

A warm welcome awaited us at Kshetra Assisted Living the following morning, with staff and residents gathered in the main communal space. We first met with Pavithra over a cup of chai, learning more about the setting and what a typical day at the Centre might look like. The rising sound of music from downstairs soon gave us our cue to go and join the staff and residents for one of their typical morning music activities.

Expression through music or dance, it makes people less inhibited, it makes them less guarded. It makes them bond. …The intangible outcome of the course or introducing music into our culture has been that the team has come together, they are closer, and you will see the nurses singing randomly.

Pavithra Gangadharan

With residents and caregivers assembled in a circle, some of the caregivers were leading a lively session, singing ‘Bhajans’ (hymns), passing round small drums and shakers to encourage residents to participate. We had a lot of fun joining them, attempting to learn a Dandiya dance demonstrated by some of the staff and sharing moments of musical interactions with some of the residents; some tapped their hands or feet, while others gently sang along. Once the main session finished, a few of the caregivers took time to check in with some of the more withdrawn members of the group, offering the opportunity for some quieter 1:1 musical interaction.

After lunch, we had the opportunity to capture Pavithra’s Story (coming soon!) and to spend more time with the caregivers. With the help of some of their staff who translated for us, we got to know a little more about why music was important to each of them, and how music helped them to connect with those in their care.

Music helps residents to move their body

Caregiver at Kshetra Assisted Living)

Our week in India flew by but we learnt so much, gaining insight into the Indian dementia care context, having the chance to connect with our Partners at Kshetra Assisted Living and to see and appreciate Music Helps (India) in context.

Even within our brief stay, it gave us a small thrill every time we recognised any of the many cultural references featured in the course – from spotting the Amul milk poster girl in the local supermarket (whose catchy advert jingle features in Chapter 2!) to recognising some of the iconic buildings and landmarks Nina had captured in the illustrations. We were delighted when a group of students came up to us after our presentation and told us they’d been singing along to all the musical examples featured in our course preview video. It was clear Nina had done a brilliant job of ensuring the course and its content were rooted in everyday Indian culture, made all the more impactful for its authentic co-development with, and for, caregivers in India.

We would like to thank the whole Dementia India Alliance team, the wider team at Kshetra Assisted Living, and our most special thanks to Pavithra for the generosity of her guidance, time and accommodation, which made our trip so special.

– Elsa and Makeda