Project Description: Leitmotif concert at Caritas Socialis

Leitmotif is a pilot project at Caritas Socialis that examines how biographically meaningful music influences the emotional experience and physiological responses of people living with dementia. The project uses mixed-methods approaches to understand how personally relevant music evokes emotional resonance, facilitates connection, and enhances quality of life in daily care settings.

Background and Rationale

Music that has played an important role in a person’s life can trigger strong emotional memories even in advanced stages of dementia. Such songs and pieces—linked to identity, biography, or cultural experiences—often provide access to emotions and memories that are no longer reachable verbally. The Leitmotif project explores these responses in a pragmatic, real-life setting by embedding biographical music into a curated concert.

Project Design

At the heart of the project is the Leitmotif Concert which presents well-known musical works and interweaves them with individually selected biographical music inserts. These personal music pieces are chosen together with the day center guests based on their musical biographies. To investigate the impact of these musical moments, the project employs a mixed-methods research design:

Physiological Measurement

Day center guests participating in the concert wear HRV sensors (Heart Rate Variability). HRV serves as an indicator of emotional activation, stress regulation, and autonomic responses. The aim is to determine whether biographically meaningful music elicits measurable physiological changes.

Qualitative Individual & Dyad Interviews

People with dementia (day center guests), relatives, and—if applicable—day center staff reflect on emotional experiences, spontaneous reactions, and meaningful moments during the concert.

Arts-Based Research Elements

Short creative activities—such as small songwriting components or a photographic memory album—serve both as research material and as forms of expression and identity support for the participants.

Aims and Research Questions

The project pursues two central aims: (1) To examine whether and how biographically meaningful music elicits emotional and physiological responses—particularly HRV changes—in people with dementia and (2) To develop and evaluate an arts-based, person-centered approach to biographical music work with people with dementia in order to support their meaningful participation in research processes.

Research Questions

Research Question 1: Do people with dementia experience increased wellbeing and engagement during a concert setting, particularly when listening to biographically relevant music?

Research Question 2: What are the challenges and the feasibility of using non-invasive physiological measurements (Heart Rate Variability; HRV) with people living with dementia to assess emotional responses during a live concert?

Expected Impact

The project aims to:

• Generate new insights into the emotional and physiological effects of personally meaningful music on people with dementia.

• Combine innovative methodological approaches that integrate physiological data, qualitative perspectives, and arts-based forms of expression.

• Provide practical implications for care settings, demonstrating how personalized music can be embedded into routines, events, and therapeutic contexts.

• Foster wellbeing and social connectedness among residents, relatives, and staff.

Concert Date: February 2, 2026, 14:00-15:00