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Sometimes dementia can make even the most straightforward or enjoyable tasks quite tricky. Research has shown that listening to a personalised playlisthalf an hour before can make the difficult task easier and stop someone getting stressed or distressed. Think about the times of the day that are difficult and listen to the playlist half an … Read more

The best place to start when creating your playlist is with your own music collection. Not every record or CD may have tunes that are personally meaningful, and not even every song on an album may elicit a response. Go through your collection, and if you come across a song that triggers a memory or … Read more

Playlists are very personal things; they are the soundtrack of our life. ? Our playlists may have songs that remind us of our first love ❤️, our wedding, the birth of our child?, and, perhaps, of a loved one who is no longer with us. Which is why sharing in someone’s playlist can help us reconnect with … Read more

When creating a personal playlist we can sometimes overlook our favourite TV shows and movies and how their music sticks with us. Televisions became a popular household item in the 1950s, and for many of us watching TV is associated with family time -that weekly show the family gets together for without fail. Are there … Read more

Music can transport you to another time or place -it’s a powerful gift and a great responsibility. Some songs though can trigger unwanted emotions, they’re called Red Flag Songs. ? When introducing a new song to a person with dementia, it’s important to look out for signs of distress or agitation. If you notice the person … Read more

Religious celebrations are joyous occasions; the whole family gets together, there’s plenty of delicious food (and sweets!), there’s laughter and singing -maybe even dancing ? For many of us, religious celebrations are full of happy memories. Listening to music or singing songs that are associated with religious celebrations can bring back that warm and fuzzy feeling, … Read more

Every place has its own musical identity, influenced by the local culture, history, and people. Think about home. Are there any songs that come to mind? Maybe it’s folk songs about working in shipyards, or ditties about living in the countryside. It could even be a lullaby about local legends, or tunes celebrating local holidays. … Read more

Research shows that we tend to favour the songs we carry with us from our Memory Bump. They evoke the strongest reactions in us, but they’re not the only ones to have such an effect. We also tend to favour songs from our parents’ and grandparents’ Memory Bumps, a phenomenon known as the ‘Cascading Memory … Read more

We all tend to lay down more memories between the ages of 10 and 30 than at other times in our lives. This is called the Memory Bump. ? We also recognise songs from this era more quickly than from other points in our lives. The Memory Bump is a period of our lives that is filled … Read more

Have you ever wondered how music is able to conjure memories of the people and places of your past? Why it can give you that flashback feeling? As we go through life, the music we love becomes neurologically intertwined with the most noteworthy people, places, and memories of our lives, forming a ‘neural tapestry’. This … Read more