Radio station launches for people living with dementia
A new 24 hour radio station playing music chosen to evoke memories has been launched to help people living with dementia and their carers.
M4D Radio is a new non-commercial radio station playing songs from the 30s through to the 70s. As part of the Music for Dementia campaign the radio station aims to make music freely available so it can form part of the care plan for anyone affected by dementia.
Available 24 hours, 365 days a year, M4D Radio will run free of advertisements to maximise the holistic benefit of the music.
Music is a wonderful connector and has the ability to bring people together in the here and now. It can enliven, stimulate and enable people living with dementia to express themselves creatively through musical engagement.
Research shows – and lived experiences demonstrate – that music can help reduce the often distressing symptoms of dementia, such as agitation, apathy and anxiety.
Poignantly, music supports people living with dementia to communicate beyond words. It also supports emotional health and wellbeing, particularly at a time when emotions can be overwhelming or difficult to process or manage.
So, not only does music have a valuable role to play in enhancing quality of life, it helps carers in their vital roles.
M4D Radio
Grace Meadows, programme director at Music For Dementia, explains:
“Often people living with dementia and their carers don’t know how to access the music that matters to them.
At m4d Radio we are developing content with our listeners to make sure it’s what they want and need, through themed shows and era-specific stations in careful collaboration with our close partners.”
Supporting the radio station’s launch are a host of celebrities including broadcaster Lauren Laverne, TV host Fiona Phillips, and former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips. Taking part in the stations’s #Song4You challenge, they have chosen and dedicated a song to someone affected by dementia.