A MUSIC therapist is launching a new app this year to help more people living with dementia, by "reducing feelings of isolation and providing more stimulation through song".

Arash Bazrafshan brought his app 'Musikind' to Salisbury care homes at the start of 2020, helping carers interact with their residents by providing a variety of songs and musical activities.

Two years on, Arash is adding the finishing touches to his new app 'Our Song', designed for individuals living with dementia outside of a care home setting.

The latest project by Arash offers residents an interactive experience with music, where they can record their own versions of songs to be sent to friends and family.

The Wiltshire-based therapist was awarded £25,000 from Innovate UK to set up the new app from scratch, which he says has been hard but he is happy with the result.

"So many people have suffered from isolating at home during the pandemic, and there are big problems around that, as well as not getting that stimulation, and their carers feeling burned out," Arash said.

"There has been lots of challenges and that is why we want to help and focus on this in particular.

"[Our Song] is focused around recording your own versions of songs and sharing them with family and friends. It's nice and clear, people can record their own songs to a backing track and send it to loved ones.

"The recipient can sing as well and make it a duet, they don't even have to leave the home."

Talking about the funding and creation process, Arash said: "I feel quite humbled and it is a privilege, I just want to do the project as best as we can.

"We need to get it right and make sure it does help reduce feelings of isolation and provides more stimulation through song.

"We're quite focussed on the user approach during development, and that will allow us to get feedback along the way."

Talking about his first app, Arash said: "We launched Musikind early in 2020, and we planned a slow growth focussing on community, but when the pandemic started there came a lot more difficulties.

"Care homes in particular have so many new things to think about, and what we experienced was that both staff and residents didn't have the time or energy to learn the application.

"We took the application into development with care homes already using it, did some free trials in the window after the first lockdown, and we have been refining the application and putting new features in based on feedback."

This app is currently being used in five care organisations, and Arash said it has been given "strong feedback".

In 2018 the therapist had turned down four offers at the Salisbury Young Chamber's first Dragons' Den event, to instead launch the business on his own.

Referring to Our Song in particular, Arash added: "If anyone wants to get involved with feedback over the next few months, we want as much feedback as possible, either by those affected or those who are supporting."

Visit the Musikind website for more information.

Get more Salisbury news. 

You can also like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date, as well as signing up for one of our newsletters.

If you want online news with fewer ads, unlimited access and reader rewards - plus a chance to support our local journalism - find out more about registering or a digital subscription.

Email newsdesk@salisburyjournal.co.uk with your comments, pictures, letters and news stories.