We want everyone living with dementia to access to a playlist or personally meaningful music that can help them live well with dementia. To achieve this we are calling for personalised music embedded into dementia care pathways the UK.
Read more about our impact across Scotland and how to connect with us below. To read about our wider policy aims visit our Policy and influencing page.
Scotland’s 2023 National Dementia Strategy recognises Playlist for Life as a ‘non-pharmacological intervention that could improve cognition, social engagement and quality of life and decrease stress and distress’.
This followed Playlist for Life’s strategy consultation response, based on engagement events and surveys with people living with dementia, unpaid carers, health and social care professionals and community leaders from our Help Point network. Read the full response here.
A case study from our partnership with NHS Fife, outlined below, is included as an example of best practice in the strategy’s 2-year delivery plan.
In 2026 The Scottish Government and COSLA partnered with Playlist for Life to mark the relaunch of the public health campaign Rethink Dementia. The campaign featured Playlist for Life’s Founder and Honorary President Sally Magnusson and Lived Experience Ambassadors Carol Topper and Abigail Thompson sharing how personalised music can improve wellbeing.
In September 2025 Playlist for Life held a Parliamentary Reception at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood. We called for personally meaningful music to be embedded into dementia care.
We also received endorsements for our work from MSPs including Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport Tom Arthur and Leader of the Scottish Labour Party Anas Sarwar.
“The power of music and the positive, therapeutic impact it can have on people’s lives is demonstrated by the testimonies of those living with dementia and their care partners. It is also recognised in our 10-year Dementia Strategy. I welcome the continued collaboration by Playlist for Life with Scottish Government and partners to improve the dementia experience and I know how important the promotion of interventions like this will be in doing so.”
I’ve seen Playlist for Life in action. The great thing about music is it can reach people that conventional services can’t and it can touch on people’s culture, remind them of their history and really pull communities together. And it’s such an important part, I think of dementia care and how we embed music into our dementia care.”
In September 2025 Playlist for Life held a Parliamentary Reception at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood. We called for personally meaningful music to be embedded into dementia care.
We also received endorsements for our work from MSPs including Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport Tom Arthur and Leader of the Scottish Labour Party Anas Sarwar.
“The power of music and the positive, therapeutic impact it can have on people’s lives is demonstrated by the testimonies of those living with dementia and their care partners. It is also recognised in our 10-year Dementia Strategy. I welcome the continued collaboration by Playlist for Life with Scottish Government and partners to improve the dementia experience and I know how important the promotion of interventions like this will be in doing so.”
I’ve seen Playlist for Life in action. The great thing about music is it can reach people that conventional services can’t and it can touch on people’s culture, remind them of their history and really pull communities together. And it’s such an important part, I think of dementia care and how we embed music into our dementia care.”
Four motions have been raised in the Scottish Parliament by MSPs, all of which gained cross-party support. In 2019, MSP Kenneth Gibson introduced a motion recognising Playlist for Life and its impact. MSP Sandesh Gulhane marked National Playlist Day 2024 by raising a motion too and MSP Annie Wells also introduced a motion to celebrate a care home worker who used Playlist for Life with residents at a care home in Glasgow to bring back memories.
Playlist for Life is working in partnership with sector leaders and local health boards in Scotland to enact long-term sustainable change by embedding personalised music into health and care structures.
These projects focus on cascading valuable knowledge, skills and resources to health and care teams, developing a model of embedding Playlist for Life that can be replicated throughout Scotland.
NHS Fife has embedded Playlist for Life in dementia care since 2017, supporting patients across 12 wards, community mental health teams, and A&E, with reported life-changing benefits. A dedicated trainer ensures staff are continually trained. Research in 2019 found music reduced agitation and stress in 96% of A&E cases, and in 2024, 80% of 10 patients supported at home needed less medication due to reduced anxiety and distress.
NHS Lanarkshire has partnered with Playlist for Life since 2024. Playlist for Life is embedded within the Lanarkshire Dementia Delivery Plan and Licensed Trainers within NHS, care home and care at home settings cascade training to front line staff and provide them with the skills to use personalised music in dementia care.
The Care Inspectorate’s Practical Dementia Resource Toolkit includes two case studies of highlighting how Playlist for Life can reduce stress and reduce pain.
We are proud to work with a wide range of national and local partners across the dementia community to expand our reach and impact. We have established over 600 Help Points in Scotland in partnership with grassroots community organisations where local families can access free resources (available in 12 languages) and support to create playlists. We currently have Community Mental Health and Wellbeing funding to raise awareness of the power of playlists in Fife and Inverclyde.
MSPs and MPs looking to support our work can:
Connect: Schedule a 20-minute briefing with us and learnabout how we’re helping families in your constituency.
Amplify our reach: Link us with local care homes,community groups, and healthcare networks.
Share resources: Display our free, evidence-based materials where constituents need them.
