Music & Dementia Global Forum

The online forum will include expert presentations on advocacy, evidence and practice as well as opportunities for participants to meet each other.

Accelerating Music Access for All

Wednesday September 23, 2026

9am – 12:30 pm EST – VIRTUAL

2 pm GMT | 6 am PST|  7:30 pm IST |3 pm CET | 10 pm CST | 11 pm JST

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Who Should Attend

Anyone working to advance dementia care and expand the role of music in supporting quality of life and well-being.

• People living with dementia
• Care partners, family and friends
• Dementia care professionals
• Frontline care providers & service organizations
• Music practitioners in dementia care

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

Synchronous Virtual

Time - 9 am EST | 2 pm GMT | 6 am PST| 7:30 pm IST | 3 pm CET | 10 pm CST | 11 pm JST

Forum Host – Justine Schneider, UK

1^st hour – Research

Evidence and real-life stories showing the impact and value of music in dementia care

• Presenter 1 – Felicity Baker - MATCH – Australia
• Presenter 2 – Coming Soon
• Breakout Rooms – Moderated by Dr. Julene Johnson, US

2^nd hour – Advocacy

Leaders and organizations sharing how they are influencing policy, funding, and system change

• Presenter 1 – Karoline Gjertsen - Sang I eldreomsorgen - Norway
• Presenter 2 – Anita Shinde - Deloitte – North America
• Breakout Rooms – Moderated by Giles Wilmore - UK

3^rd hour - Promising Practices

Practical musical programs and methods that can work in different care settings

• Presenter 1 – Sara Santini - Sound Project - Europe
• Presenter 2 – Elaine Fernandes Mateus - Musicalmente – Brazil
• Breakout Rooms – Moderated by Kristje Stedje- Norway

For those interested, there will be a 30 minute optional networking opportunity at the close of the 3^rd hour.

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Speakers, Titles and Biographical Details

Karoline Gjertsen: Sang i eldreomsorgen (Singing in elderly care): Singing as Infrastructure: A National Approach to Music in Elderly and Dementia Care

Karoline Gjertsen is Head of the Programme Sang i eldreomsorgen (Singing in Elderly Care), a national programme in Norway. A music therapist (MA, Norwegian Academy of Music), vocal coach and choir conductor whose work includes dementia choirs, she works to make singing a systematic, evidence-informed part of everyday elderly and dementia care. 

Felicity Baker: MATCH (Music Attuned Care: Technology via eHealth), a Music Adaptive Technology to Manage Symptoms of Dementia

 Professor Felicity Baker (music therapy) is Associate Dean Research for the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music and Director, International Research Partnerships for the Creative Arts and Music Therapy Research Unit and former Australia Research Council Future Fellow (2011-2015). Felicity is passionateabout leading interdisciplinary research with real world translationalopportunity and impact, collaborating with local and international research andindustry partners. Her research impact was recognised when she was awarded theMarles Medal 2023. Felicity is Founder of Yadzia PtyLtd, a University ofMelbourne MedTech spin-out company that will commercialise www.MATCHplus.ai enablingthe benefits music-based health technology to reach those who would benefitfrom it.

Anita Schinde: ‍Understanding the Economic Value of Music Engagement: Highlights from Deloitte's Alzheimer's Disease Report

Anita is a Partner, global leader and founding member of Deloitte’s Economic Advisory practice in Canada. She has over 20 years of experience in consulting, focusing on economic advisory, market research, and data analytics services across numerous industries, including healthcare, arts and culture, higher education, technology, and government. Anita’s work has been published and leveraged to develop commercial business cases, strategic plans and policies, and effectively communicate economic and social impacts, opportunities, and challenges.  Most recently Anita’s work including leading Deloitte‘s report entitled: Alzheimer’s Disease & Music Engagement: Quality of Life Economic Impact Analysis. Anita holds an MA in Economics from the University of Ottawa, BA in Honors Economics from Western University, and Management Certification from Harvard Business School.

 Elaine Mateus: Music, Belonging, and Human Connection in Dementia CareMusicalMente: Music, Belonging, and Human Connectionin Dementia Care

Dr. Mateus is a retired professor of Applied Linguistics, dementia advocate, and care partner from Brazil. Following her mother’s ten-year journey with Alzheimer’s disease, she transitioned from academia to dementia advocacy and community leadership. Elaine is Co-founder and President of Instituto Não Me Esqueças and CEO of the Brazilian Federation of Alzheimer Associations (Febraz). She has contributed to international initiatives including STRiDE, Alzheimer Iberoamérica, and the Global Brain Health Institute. Her work focuses on human rights, stigma reduction, community engagement, and non-pharmacological approaches to dementia care.

 Sara Santini - The SOUND experience: a music-based non-pharmacological intervention for dementia in three European Countries

Sara Santini, Master’s degree in Political Sciences and in Violin, and International PhD in Gerontology, is senior researcher at the Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Ageing at IRCCS-INRCA (Italy). Her research is focused mainly on long-term care and arts-based interventions. She has extensive experience as principal investigator and coordinator of numerous EU and national funded research projects, e.g. “SOUND”, developing and testing a music-based non-pharmacological intervention with older people with dementia and “DanceCARE”, a body-mind psycho-educational intervention for supporting informal caregivers of older people with long-term care needs.