Dementia Care Can Now Include Dedicated Music Platform

The days when those with dementia would always have to go into a residential home have passed, partly thanks to the growth of new care options and the development of some dedicated resources to help them live their lives to the full.

Music can be very useful and important for dementia sufferers, both for entertainment and also to help jog memories. That is why the launch of a new dedicated online platform for sufferers and their carers to use, called Music Can, has been widely welcomed.

Among those delighted by the development is Call of Duty actor Vicky McClure. She told PA News: “We need to make it easy for people to be able to find and access services in their communities and navigate the array of digital offers available.”

Ms McClure, who launched the Nottingham-based Our Dementia Choir in 2019 after her grandmother was diagnosed with the disease, urged everyone who supports dementia sufferers, “from family carers, to link workers, GP’s, other health and care professionals, and musical dementia service providers – to use this incredibly valuable resource.”

More dementia choirs are being established across the UK with the help of money provided by the Power of Music Fund, which the actor also praised.

The news comes at a time when some have questioned just how much support there is for those who have been diagnosed with dementia to live well.

Consumer magazine Which? recently highlighted this topic by noting that sometimes support “can be lacking”, but that there are resources out there that can be accessed.

This included a café for those diagnosed with dementia featuring various activities and events, including musical ones such as a performance of harp music.

While this kind of thing may be easily accessible for those in the earlier stages of dementia and able to live independently, it will be heartening to know that platforms providing access to music and other facilities are now being offered to those who need more extensive help.