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For Facilitator - In advance of the session

This session is a short introduction, sharing how personalised playlists can help people live well with dementia and teaching your service users how to build and listen to a playlist. You can run this as an online or face to face presentation.
To present these slides with videos embedded please download the presentation. Click File > Download > Microsoft Power Point
If you are going to ask people to share musical memories during the session, then ask participants to think of a musical memory in advance so no one is put in the spot.
Promote use of I want to speak cards in your session – encourage participants in advance to tell you if they prefer to use chat function, cards etc.
Send an outline of what the session will cover in advance. Let people know that the session mentions symptoms of dementia and that there are videos of people with dementia sharing their experience.
Send extra reminders before the session and on the day of the session.
Take the session slowly and allow plenty of time for questions, conversation and sharing of experiences.

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Playlist for Life

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How music can help people live well with dementia

Finding the right music

Ways to listen to the playlist

There will be time for questions after each section

What we will cover today:

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Through out the session

Keep your audio on mute when you are not speaking

Use the chat box for questions if possible

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Why Music?

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Music and dementia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agD80Nb5eE4&t=39s

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How Playlists have helped me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo_70J78LG8&t=24s

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13vfafzS0do

Having a playlist can also benefit the people around you

Having a playlist can also benefit family and friends of someone living with dementia. Unpaid carers can use a playlist to support them in caring.

If you are feeling a bit distant or disconnected from your loved ones then listening to the music and talking about shared memories can be a lovely way to spend some time together and connect.

Writing down your songs and memories can be a useful for your loved one. Knowing what music is meaningful to you can help them to support you throughout your dementia journey. You can use Playlist for Life’s resources to note down your playlist songs and memories and share it with your loved one.

[If you are running a session with carers or want to focus more on how playlists can help a family carer in their role then you can share the YouTube video link in the slide- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13vfafzS0do]

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2. Choosing the Right Music

The easiest wat to start thinking about your playlist is to think about your favourite that you listen to regularly.

Also think of your Go to songs – Your go to cheer up songs, go to dancing song, or go to relaxing song.

Even if you do not consider yourself a music lover and don’t listen to music regularly, you can still pick out music for your playlist. Music surrounds us throughout our lives so try and find songs that give you that ‘flashback feeling’. The songs that when they come on, they instantly make you think of a time in your life, a place you love or a person who is important to you.

It can sometimes be hard to think of these songs and you might not know that a song gives you the flashback feeling until you hear it. So, Playlist for Life has some tips that might help you think of the right music. Although with some of these tips we are looking to the past to find music for our playlist, this is not about dwelling on the past, but looking at all the music and experiences throughout your life that make you who you are now. Listening to music from our past can help us connect with our present.

It’s also important to note that a playlist is never finished, it will also keep growing as you think of new songs and as you make new memories.

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The Memory Bump

It’s a scientific fact that we make more memories between the ages of 10-30 than at any other point in our lives.

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Inheritance Tracks

Songs passed on by the people who are important to us

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Identity Tracks

Tunes associated with aspects of your deepest identity.

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Important places

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Hobbies,

interests

and beliefs

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Special moments

and milestones

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Music can be emotional.

Red Flag songs are songs that you don’t want to hear or that bring back an upsetting memory

Music can be emotional and these emotions may not always be positive. If you are writing down your playlist, especially to share with loved ones, then it is just as important to note down the songs you don’t want to hear as the ones that you do. Whether that’s because you absolutely can’t stand the Bay City Rollers and don’t want to listen to them or because there is a song that brings back an upsetting memory.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t include any pieces that bring up strong emotions. There might be a song on your playlist that reminds you of a loved one who has passed and although it make you sad you still want to have that reminder of them. Your playlist is yours and it’s up to you what songs and memories you want to include.

You might want to have a few different playlists. One for uplifting music, one for relaxing music and one for the songs with strong memories attached.

James who we worked with made playlist with these strong memories and found it to be a fun and interesting task. He doesn’t want to listen to those songs every day at the moment but he knows it’s there if he wants it and it could be useful to him in the future.

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Find useful resources at

www.playlistforlife.org.uk/resources

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Share a song from your playlist

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3. Listening to the Playlist

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Accessing Music

The best way to listen to your playlist is whatever way you are most comfortable with.

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Ways to listen

Online

Download Music

Dementia Friendly Devices

Having your playlist songs gathered together in one place can makes listening easier. If you do want to do this there are a few methods you can use.

You can use online streaming platforms such as Spotify or YouTube to search and listen to any in you are in the mood for. You can also use these to gather your playlist tunes together in one place. You can use your phone, a laptop or an Alexa to access online music.

If you don’t have regular internet access you can also download the particular songs you want to listen to. You can download music onto a computer and if you want to make your playlist portable then you can use a device like an mp3 player.

If you don’t feel confident using technology there are a range of dementia friendly devices available for listening to playlists. These are generally a bit simpler to use and can take the stress out of accessing music.

Playlist for Life has lots of guidance on listening to a playlist that we can share with you.

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Questions