On Friday 18th September, #NationalPlaylistDay encouraged everyone to think about five songs that are meaningful to them to highlight the power of music for people living with dementia. That’s because when a person living with dementia listens to a playlist of personally meaningful songs, their distressing symptoms can be reduced and conversations and connections with carers and loved ones are stronger.
And while #NationalPlaylistDay might only be a 24-hour event, it was celebrated all week by our partners and supporters and we’re grateful to everyone who took part. From people sharing personal playlists on social media to our Help Points running community events filled with musical activities, the widespread enthusiasm for our cause was incredible. And so to mark its success, here are the five things we are most proud of from this year’s campaign.
We visited two music venues that have become renowned across the globe – Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow and The Cavern Club in Liverpool to hear from the artists who have performed there and the songs and memories that shaped the soundtrack of their life.
Our time at the Barrowland Ballroom was particularly special as not only did we launch our campaign there, we created a short film with our ambassador James Graham of The Twilight Sad and health and social care professional Natasha Wilson who discuss their lived experience of dementia – James through the lens of caring for his mother who lived with dementia and Natasha from a professional perspective and using Playlist for Life in her role with NHS Fife.
Watch Music, Memories and the Barrowland Ballroom below.
Our Community Help Point Network plays a crucial role in supporting people affected by dementia who live at home.
With more than 2,500 Help Points across the UK, there was a lot happening in support of National Playlist Day. Here are just a few examples of how this network harnessed the power of music for people living with dementia in the community.
Weekday Wow Factor in Glasgow holds a weekly daytime disco throughout the year, but for National Playlist Day, there was a special guest DJ in the form of Ken McCluskey from The Bluebells. The singer of Young at Heart took a turn on the decks to play songs from his personal playlist and had a dance with the group too!
In Leyland, Lancashire, pop-up Help Point was run by our supporter Keith McIntosh, South Ribble Dementia Action Alliance and Radio Leyland. There was a special live broadcast from The British Commercial Vehicle Musuem and visitors could access our free resources to help them get started on their own personal playlist.
We want everyone to know about the power of music for dementia, and that making a personal playlist to live well is easy, because it is. So we reached out to partner organisations and supporters to ask them to spread the word about how meaningful music can be a lifeline for someone living with dementia.
More than 50 partners championed our message across social media, at events and in the workplace. Each time someone shares about our work and how we can help, the closer we are to transforming dementia care. A huge thanks to Alzheimer Scotland, National Academy of Social Prescribing, People Make Glasgow, Turcan Connell and everyone else who supported National Playlist Day.
We engaged with eight MPs and MSPs over the course of the campaign and the impact of our work made it all the way to Westminster. Martin Rhodes MP raised the question of whether the power of music could impact how the NHS approaches it’s care for people living wth dementia. We’ve already seen regional NHS teams experience demonstrable impact by using meaningful music, and so this important conversation is crucial to expanding the use of music in dementia care nationwide. Watch the conversation in the video below.
We were fortunate once again to receive support from our Ambassador Sir Alex Ferguson for this year’s National Playlist Day. On the day we announced that he had generously donated £100,000 to support our work via The Elizabeth Hardie Ferguson Charitable Trust Fund.
Sir Alex said:
We all know someone whose life has been touched by dementia. I’ve seen the impact it can have in my own family, and I know the challenges it can bring. But I also know that music is one of the best things available that can help. That’s why I back Playlist for Life and its mission to have music in dementia care and support as standard. The charity is transforming the lives of people affected by dementia across the UK through personally meaningful music. The songs that matter to us make up the soundtrack of our lives and for people living with dementia, that soundtrack can bring back treasured memories, reduce symptoms and help people reconnect. It’s a simple thing to do, but for someone affected by dementia, it can make a world of difference.
Listen to Sir Alex Ferguson’s very own playlist here. And if you would like to get involved with our work and future campaigns, find out more here.
