cAtherine has been living with dementia for five years. She can no longer find the words to talk to her children, but when she sings with her dementia choir she remembers the lyrics of songs from her childhood and participates with verbal enthusiasm.
Mark, who was diagnosed with dementia last year, became isolated and depressed. Until his nursing home started a choir. Gradually seduced by the music therapist, his mental health has changed: now sociable and enthusiastic, Mark often encourages residents to sing along before bed.
Catherine and Mark aren’t the only ones benefiting from the power of music. Research published in the Lancet has revealed the incredible power of music to improve the lives of the UK’s 994,000 people with dementia: music therapy reduces agitation and the need for medication in 67% of people with dementia.
Music therapy has been found to alleviate symptoms of dementia such as anxiety, apathy, depression and agitation. Its impact is similar to that of exercise in releasing endorphins, with recreational group singing in particular leading to clinically important improvements in depression, as well as neuropsychiatric symptoms and general quality of life.
Thanks to two groundbreaking initiatives, everyone with dementia now has the chance to benefit from the power of music. The first, the Music can be digital platform Launched this week, it offers a free, dynamic, all-in-one tool that allows anyone to use music in dementia care for themselves and others.
The platform includes a directory of support, playlists, music activities and advice and is a joint initiative between the music industry, technology providers and cross-industry groups, including the second initiative, the Power of Music Fund.
Sarah Metcalfe, from the grant-funding Utley Foundation, said: “Both initiatives are game changers. They are potentially revolutionary. There are so many moving stories about the power of music that this platform can help replicate in other families.
“The man who was able to talk to his wife about his dementia diagnosis for the first time after making a playlist of his musical memories that helped him think about this life. The woman who only takes a shower when her caregiver sings Fly Me to the Moon. A GP who prescribed a playlist to a dementia patient and was able to reduce her sedatives by 65% as a direct result.
“But these projects require grassroots organizations to be funded so that people have that knowledge and information. Evidence must then be gathered so that the NHS knows where to put money and where to invest.”
The Power of Music Fund will distribute a series of grants for dementia projects. It is hoped the pot, boosted by a £1 million contribution from the Utley Foundation, will grow to £5 million.
A £500,000 grant, established by the National Academy for Social Prescribing, will be given to the development of a center of excellence – a partnership between healthcare providers, voluntary organisations, music providers and dementia support organisations.
The center will test new approaches to integrating music as part of dementia care and design models of care that could be spread across England.
The fund, which opens for applications on November 22, will also provide smaller grants to grassroots choirs and music groups with dementia to cover basic costs such as room rent, travel and refreshments.
Nicole Meissner, from Music Can, said: “These projects are not only crucial to reach those struggling with dementia and who are not digitally literate, but also those communities where they are very well accepted or understood. It also means that people with dementia can receive well-personalized care in a space that is still not very personal.”
The initial focus of the Music Can platform will be on dementia, but the aim is to adapt and develop content for adults with severe learning disabilities, people with a range of mental health conditions, vulnerable children and people who are isolated.
In its Power of Music report, the Utley Foundation and other groups called for music to be put at the heart of social prescribing, with the appointment of a Power of Music Commissioner, who would lead a taskforce to integrate music into healthcare , social care and health care. welfare at government level.