A new Saanich-based choir is looking to combat the effects of AlzheimerB次元官网网址檚 disease by pairing people afflicted by the disease with high school students.

About 50 people gathered on Wednesday to sing at Voices in MotionB次元官网网址檚 first session in the multipurpose room of Saint Joseph the Worker Parish in Saanich. The University of Victoria research-based initiative joins high school students in a choir with locals in the early or intermediate stages of AlzheimerB次元官网网址檚 disease, and their caregivers, to study effect of singing and socialization on those with dementia.

The belief is choirs may reduce health care costs and improve quality of life for people with dementia and their caregivers as singing is shown to improve mood, increase energy, reduce stress and support self-esteem. The project will measure the effects of participating in the choir and also relies on a 15-minute social meeting between members after each session.

The plan is to have 60 people in the choir, 20 high school students, 20 people with AlzheimerB次元官网网址檚 and their 20 respective caregivers. The choir held its first session Jan. 31, and interest is high with 20 keen students from St. AndrewB次元官网网址檚 Regional School. There are currently 14 dyads (groups of two) with room for four or five more, made up of a caregiver and a person with AlzheimerB次元官网网址檚, said Debra Sheets, a UVic associate professor in the School of Nursing and the projectB次元官网网址檚 principal investigator.

B次元官网网址淓ven when you have AlzheimerB次元官网网址檚 disease, you need ways to participate in our community and so often caregivers, too, can become socially isolated,B次元官网网址� she said.

Led by professional musical director Erica Phare-Bergh, the choir will practice over a 14-week period and culminates with a spring performance. One of the goals is to make the projectB次元官网网址檚 findings available so other organizations can follow suit.

SheetB次元官网网址檚 own father suffered dementia and was prone to social isolation.

B次元官网网址淲hat [participants] need to understand is they are part of a research study, this is a most rigorous study looking at the effects of choir participation on people with AlzheimerB次元官网网址檚B次元官网网址檚 disease and their caregivers thatB次元官网网址檚 been done to date,B次元官网网址� Sheets said. B次元官网网址淓ven with AlzheimerB次元官网网址檚 you may not remember what it was that made you feel happy but that mood persists so the hope is weB次元官网网址檙e tapping into those parts of the brain, the song and music, that still seem to be working quite well.B次元官网网址�

Applicants undergo a 90 to 120-minute intake and are expected to complete five neuropsychological assessments this spring and a minimum of six more next year.

No applicant will be turned away as long as the program is beneficial to them and they arenB次元官网网址檛 disruptive, Sheets said.

The program is officially known as Voices in Motion: An Intergenerational Community Choir for Persons with AlzheimerB次元官网网址檚 Disease and their Caregivers. The research team includes Stuart MacDonald from UVicB次元官网网址檚 Department of Psychology, Andre Smith from the Department of Sociology and Mary Kennedy of the School of Music.

Interested parties can contact Sheets at 250-721-8595 or dsheets@uvic.ca.