Music is a valuable non-pharmacological tool that provides benefits for people with dementia, and there is interest in designing technologies to support music use in dementia care. To ensure music technologies are appropriately designed for supporting caregivers and people living with dementia, there remains a need to better understand how music is currently used in everyday care at home. We aimed to understand how people with dementia and their caregivers use music technologies in everyday caring, as well as challenges they experience using music and technology. This study used a mixed methods design. A survey was completed by 77 caregivers and people with dementia to understand their use of music and technology. Of these, 18 survey respondents (12 family caregivers, 6 people living with dementia) participated in focus groups about their experiences of using music and technology in care. Transcripts were analysed with reflexive thematic analysis. Most survey respondents used music often in their daily lives, reporting a range of music technologies such as CDs, radio, and streaming. Focus groups highlighted benefits and challenges of music technologies in everyday care. Participants used music and music technologies to regulate mood, provide joy, facilitate social connection, encourage reminiscence, provide continuity before and after diagnosis, and to make caregiving easier. Challenges of using music technology in care included difficulties staying up to date with evolving technology, and low self-efficacy for technology use expressed by people living with dementia. Evidently, people living with dementia and their caregivers use music technologies to support their everyday care needs. Results suggest opportunities to design technologies enabling easier access to music and supporting people living with dementia with recreational and therapeutic music listening and music-based activities.

翻译：音乐是一种有价值的非药物干预手段，可为痴呆症患者带来益处，目前人们正致力于设计支持痴呆症护理中音乐使用的技术。为确保音乐技术能恰当用于支持照护者和痴呆症患者日常居家护理，需更深入了解当前日常护理中音乐的实际使用情况。本研究旨在探究痴呆症患者及其照护者在日常护理中如何使用音乐技术，以及他们在使用音乐和技术时面临的挑战。采用混合方法设计：由77名照护者和痴呆症患者完成问卷调查，了解其音乐与技术使用情况；其中18名受访者（12名家庭照护者，6名痴呆症患者）参与了关于护理中音乐与技术使用体验的焦点小组讨论。对访谈记录进行反思性主题分析。多数受访者在日常生活中经常使用音乐，涉及的设备包括CD播放器、收音机和流媒体等。焦点小组讨论揭示了日常护理中音乐技术的益处与挑战：参与者运用音乐及音乐技术调节情绪、带来愉悦、促进社交联系、激发回忆、维持诊断前后生活的连续性，并简化照护流程。使用音乐技术的挑战包括难以跟上技术迭代步伐，以及痴呆症患者对技术使用的自我效能感较低。研究表明，痴呆症患者及其照护者通过音乐技术支持日常护理需求。结果提示，未来应设计更便利获取音乐的技术，支持痴呆症患者进行娱乐性及治疗性音乐聆听与基于音乐的活动。