Nieuwsblad Cities Triangle, Wednesday 21 November 2018

Since 2016, Foundation De Bovenkamer has been offering the possibility for people with dementia and their informal caregivers to meet in De Bovenkamer. This project investigates the influence of sound and music on people with dementia.

Josef Rebbe and Joeri Bonsel from the SPARKS-Project have designed a double sofa where a visitor can sit down with his or her supervisor to experience harmonizing frequencies and music physically. They have been working together since 2010 and have gained a lot of experience with the effects of tactile sound. Their scientific, technical and sensitively intuitive approach makes their work unique and innovative.

People with dementia can be touched by music and stay in contact with their environment. However, as dementia worsens, it becomes increasingly difficult for sufferers to deal with a multitude of impulses and sounds. The SPARKS-Project aims to find a solution to the disappearing feeling of a safe existence by making sound vibrations tangible in the body. Tactile sound that increases body awareness.

Starting this month, during a research period of half a year, insights are obtained into which frequencies and rhythms have a positive effect on the well-being of this growing target group. A committee of professionals from the dementia network monitors quality and care during the research.

On Monday, the 26th of November at 4 pm the new couch will be symbolically unveiled by Commissioner Ten Broeke in the Bovenkamer.

People with incipient dementia, family members and informal caregivers are welcome to get acquainted with the SOMASONO Sofa. They can register to take part in the research starting after the unveiling. More information about SOMASONO and participation in the research in the Bovenkamer can be found on the website www.somasono.nl.

De Bovenkamer is located at Harenbergweg 1 in Zutphen. For more information, e-mail info@de bovenkamerzutphen.com  and the website  www.debovenkamerzutphen.com