Aging Well in Harmony Toolkit: Personalised care to residents with dementia in rural aged care facilities

Abstract

This toolkit is an outcome of a non-pharmacological intervention, ‘Harmony in the Bush’, conducted by Flinders University Rural Health SA in five rural aged care facilities over two years, funded by the Australian Department of Health under the National Aged Care Services Program. We aimed to demonstrate that a co-designed personalised care model, based on the Progressively Lowered Stress Threshold principles and personalised and group music activities, is effective in reducing behavioural and psychological symptoms of residents with dementia while also reducing caregiver stress.