Get music at home

When words fail, try music.

There are many ways you can get music at home, whether that’s listening to the radio, through a speaker, playing an instrument or even just singing a song.

It can bring you and the person you care for into the moment or spark an old memory.

Resources

Woman leaning on a piano, wearing a colorful shirt with animal prints, next to a tambourine marked "Music for Dementia" and headphones.

M4D Radio

Award-winning m4dradio.com is free and streams ad-free music from different decades. What will you be listening to today?

Go to M4D Radio →

Two elderly people outdoors, one in a wheelchair holding a guitar and wearing a straw hat, and the other sitting on a chair wearing a blue shirt. They are in a garden setting with plants around them.

Music therapy tips

Music as Therapy International trains carers in musical techniques to connect with people living with dementia, manage anxiety and reduce medication.

Go to Music as Therapy International →

Two women in a group setting, smiling and pointing fingers upwards with others in the background.

Sing a song

Carols aren't just for Christmas! Sing any song that springs to mind. Use google to find all the words or browse the international songbook made by charity 'Shared Harmonies'.

Go to Shared Harmonies →

Real life stories

  • Two women sitting with a small dog, one wearing sunglasses and a pink vest, the other in a blue patterned dress.

    “If it’s one of her off days I’ll say ‘shall we put the music on?’ And we both start singing”

    Brenda and Trish

  • Two elderly individuals sitting side by side, smiling inside a room with decorative items on a windowsill, and curtains in the background.

    “You start to sing and you feel much better…you start to wonder if you’re the same person.”

    Tim and Cindy

  • Two women sitting indoors, one elderly wearing a scarf, and the other middle-aged with colorful sleeves, smiling near a window with floral curtains.

    “It can just be five minutes or even just one song, but that’ll do.”

    Patricia and Clara