The
Music-Movement-Memory Programme

Population ageing represents an increasingly important social, health and societal challenge. In the Vipava Valley and the wider Northern Primorska region too, there is a growing need for quality, accessible and professionally designed programmes that help older people maintain physical health, mental ability and emotional balance and live independently for as long as possible. Existing provision is often fragmented and focused only on isolated aspects of physical exercise, social contact or rehabilitation, while comprehensive programmes that combine different approaches into a coherent, user-adapted whole are lacking.

Ageing can bring reduced muscle strength, poorer mobility, problems with balance and coordination, and a gradual decline in cognitive ability. Older people also often experience loneliness, a lack of social contact, anxiety and reduced involvement in local community life. These factors can significantly affect a person's wellbeing, their ability to carry out daily activities and their overall quality of life. Particular attention is needed for older adults with movement limitations, chronic illnesses or neurodegenerative changes, who require safe, professionally led activities adapted to their abilities.

Music, movement and mental activities hold significant potential for promoting healthy and active ageing. Music can positively influence mood, motivation, memory and social connection, while appropriately adapted movement helps maintain strength, mobility, balance and independence. Performing movement and cognitive tasks at the same time further stimulates attention, coordination, responsiveness and other mental processes. Combining them therefore provides a sound basis for developing comprehensive services that treat the older person not merely in terms of a single health issue, but with regard to their physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing.

The project also stems from the need to develop non-institutional forms of support for older people and to strengthen cooperation between the social enterprise, local communities, care homes, pensioners' associations, healthcare institutions, day activity centres and other organisations. By connecting different areas of knowledge and settings, an offer can be created that is accessible to a wider range of users and adapted to their health status, living circumstances and actual needs.

Project description:

The project is aimed at developing comprehensive music-movement and cognitive programmes for older adults, with the core purpose of supporting physical activity, maintaining mental ability, emotional wellbeing and social inclusion. The programmes will combine music, rhythmic movement, adapted physical exercises, tasks to stimulate attention and memory, and other activities designed with reference to expert knowledge from kinesiology, gerontology, rehabilitation, neuroscience and mental health.

Various content formats will be prepared within the project, adapted for healthy and independent older adults as well as for people with movement, health or cognitive limitations. Activities can be carried out in groups or individually, with their difficulty adapted to the abilities, health status and goals of individual users. Particular attention will be paid to safe delivery, gradual progression, an enjoyable user experience and creating an encouraging environment in which participants feel included, accepted and motivated.

Development will proceed from preparing the professional and delivery concept through to designing usable programme content. The approaches prepared will be tested together with representatives of the target group, and their experience and feedback will be used to improve the content, working methods and organisation of delivery. Based on the findings of testing, final versions of the programmes will be developed, suitable for delivery on the social enterprise's premises, at partner organisations or in other settings where older people take part in organised activities.

An important part of the project will involve engaging local and regional stakeholders. Cooperation with care homes, pensioners' associations, healthcare and social welfare institutions, educational organisations and day activity centres will make it easier to reach users, better understand their needs and establish conditions for the long-term delivery of the services. Stakeholders will be able to help inform users, organise sessions, adapt activities and incorporate the programmes into their existing offer.

Once development and testing are complete, the programmes will be brought to market and presented to potential users, their families and organisations working with older people. Communication will take place through online content, social media, direct outreach, cooperation with the media and personal engagement with stakeholders. In this way the project will lay the foundation for the ongoing delivery of activities, further development of the programmes and the growth of the social enterprise as a professional provider of comprehensive support for healthy and active ageing.