Music Is the Healer: A Conversation with Music for Dementia
This episode of the Now Spinning Magazine Podcast is a little different — and very close to my heart. I spoke with Amy Shackleton and Lizzie Hoskin from Music for Dementia, a UK charity dedicated to making music easier to reach for people living with dementia and the families who care for them.
The theme running through our conversation is simple and powerful: music connects people when words no longer can. We explored how music can reduce anxiety, rekindle memories, and bring moments of joy — and how modern technology, almost by accident, has made access to music harder for the very generation who helped invent the soundtrack of our lives.
“A generation separated from their tracks”
Music for Dementia’s Music Made Easy campaign grew from a stark, everyday problem: streaming can be confusing, passwords and menus are daunting, and many families no longer have the cassette players, CD players or turntables that used to make listening as easy as pushing one button. The result is a broken bridge — the music is there, but the path to it is cluttered.
As Amy put it, “If music helps so much — and we know it does — why is it still so hard to play the music that people love?” The campaign works with music and tech partners to remove barriers so that families can, quite literally, press play again.
Music reaches where conversation can’t
We talked about how music interacts with the brain. Amy described it beautifully: if you scanned your brain while listening to music, it would light up like a fireworks display — not just the areas for hearing, but language, movement, emotion and memory too. That explains why songs rooted in our long-term memory can reach people even when day-to-day recall is fragile. Amy shared a family story: her grandfather, who couldn’t remember the day of the week, instinctively lifted a violin to his chin and began to play.
Lizzie brought decades of radio experience to the work and spoke movingly about carers using music to calm agitation at the end of the day — choosing a known favourite (in one case, Irish music and a simple drum) instead of reaching first for medication. “My husband isn’t lost in music — he’s found,” someone once told her. It’s hard to think of a more perfect summary.
Support for carers, as well as the person living with dementia
Music doesn’t only help the person with dementia; it supports the carer too. Playlists can de-escalate tricky moments, add rhythm to routines (upbeat in the morning, calming in the afternoon), and — crucially — create something to do together. Whether that’s listening at home, joining a choir, or visiting a “music café,” these shared moments rebuild connection and ease the sense of isolation.
Making music easy again: m4dRADIO and the Yoto player
One practical solution we discussed is m4dRADIO — a free, ad-free online station designed specifically for people living with dementia and their carers. It offers six channels by decade (1940s to 1980s) and avoids disorienting elements like time checks or breaking news. You can just choose a decade and listen — no ads, no chatter, no interruptions — the closest digital equivalent to putting on a favourite LP and letting the room change with the music.
We also talked about the trial using the Yoto Player, a tactile, screen-free device originally made for children. Music for Dementia adapted it with simple stickers and a straightforward guide so that inserting a single card starts m4dRADIO right away — no passwords, no menus, no pop-ups. Families reported that they listened more often and that days felt noticeably calmer.
Practical steps we can all take
- A reminder from our guests: anyone can help. Start small and personal.
- Sit with someone you love and build a 10-song playlist from their teens and twenties. (Also consider their list of musical dislikes – it can also go the other way, not all music has happy memories!)
- Print the list, label it clearly, and make it part of everyday life: before meals, during a walk, or as a wind-down ritual.
- Consider the “lanyard idea”: alongside name and contact details, include favourite artists/songs so anyone can quickly put on meaningful music when it’s needed most.
Amy also shared a powerful vision: one day, a dementia diagnosis will automatically prompt a music plan — a practical toolkit that turns tech into a bridge instead of a barrier.
A message to the music and tech industries
“Inclusion is innovation,” Amy said. If we design for the generation that created this soundtrack, we improve the experience for everyone. That means easy modes, big buttons, clear fonts, fewer updates that shuffle everything around, and thoughtful devices that prize tactility and simplicity over endless menus.
Hope, humanity, and the soundtrack of a life
As many of you know, I lost my mum to dementia. I’ve seen the way a familiar melody can clear the mist and bring someone home to themselves — if only for a few minutes. Music really is the healer and the doctor. This conversation affirmed that again and offered concrete ways to make it easier for families to tap into that healing.
Take action:
- Explore the campaign at musicfordementia.org.uk
- Listen free at m4dRADIO.com (choose your decade; I had the 70s on and Status Quo popped up — bliss!)
- Share this episode with someone who needs it
- Tell us your stories in the Now Spinning community — your experiences can help others
To Amy and Lizzie: thank you. To everyone reading: keep spinning those discs, keep listening — and keep the music within easy reach.
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
