Talk delivered by Rebecca Kennedy, Communities Officer, Playlist for Life

1. Playlist for Life
and Libraries
Rebecca Kennedy

2. Music that gives you 'that
flashback feeling' can be a
lifeline for people with
dementia.

3. Watch video at https://vimeo.com/472116630

4. Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agD80Nb5eE4 to find out more about music and dementia
Why music is special

5. What does the music do?
- It alters mood: calming and energising
- It can help recall memories or abilities
- It can “ground” someone, restoring a sense of
self
- Reduces need for pharmacological intervention

6. Way to use a playlist
• Beating isolation
• Therapeutic Scheduling
• Carry it with you
• Connecting with family
• Respite

7. Playlist for Life’s aims
1. Everyone has access to a personal
playlist
2. People they come into contact
with know what to do

8. Music Detective Skills
Memory Bump
It’s a scientific fact that we create more memories
between the ages of 10 and 30 than at any other time
in our lives. Tracking these down is a good starting
point.
Inheritance Tracks
Playlists include tunes we inherit from other people.
Who have been the important people in their life?
What song remind them of these loved ones?
Identity Tracks
What makes the person who they are? What are their
hobbies, interests and beliefs?

9. What we do
Training for
Healthcare
Professionals
Community
Networks
Raising
awareness

10. Our work with libraries
Playlist for Life has provided
resources to 78 Libraries in
Scotland
Reaching around 63,000
people
• Moray
• ONFife
• Glasgow Life
• Culture Perth and Kinross
• Live Life Aberdeenshire
• Live Borders

11. ONFife
Using volunteers to
support your community
“We want to encourage people with dementia
to make their own personal playlist whether in
a library venue or at home , by themselves or
with a family member.” Samantha McDougall

12. Glasgow Life
Starting small and breaking
down digital barriers
“Staff promote the service to our customers
within our community centres & libraries
which are situated in the heart of every
community across Glasgow.”, Nicola Byfield

13. Case Study
“I noticed the Playlist for Life poster when returning books in the local library. My
husband still lives with me at home for the time being but his dementia is
progressing rapidly. As a family, we have been struggling to connect with him at
times, he becomes increasingly agitated if we’re not all in the same room
together, and some days he now hardly speaks a word to us and is a lost soul for
the most part.
I popped back into the library during the Playlist for Life drop-in and spent an hour
or so looking through the songbook and we listened to lots of No.1 hits from the
40s through to the 60s and made up a playlist of about ten songs. It was my 70th
recently and during the birthday party in the house I put on the playlist. During
the second song by The Hollies, my husband turned to everyone and said “I was
19 when I first heard this…” and half an hour later he was still holding the floor,
regaling us with stories of his early 20s and through the years. That theme
continued throughout the evening as the playlist moved through the songs. We’ve
not had many recent happy memories to share, and they may be few and far
between from now on, but I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present to
have my husband back with us, just like old times.”

14. Sign up at https://www.playlistforlife.org.uk/the-help-point-network-is-growing-join-us/
Become a Help Point

15. Share our resources in your
community
• Display our resources in
your library
• Include our resources in
your home library service
• Send resources to local
care homes
• Share resources on your
social media

16. • Include Playlist for Life in
reminiscence sessions
• Include your Digital
Volunteers
• Partner with groups who
use the library
• Use as part of dementia
friendly communities project

17. Think of someone in isolation
who you want to connect with.
1 Is there a song that reminds you of them?
Why?
2 Text, message or email the person to
organise a telephone or video call. Ask them
to think of a song that reminds them of you.
3 Have your call and play or sing the song to
them. Share your memory of them and that
tune. Do they remember it too? What tune did
they choose? What is their memory?
https://www.playlistforlife.org.uk/
connectthroughmusic/
Takeaway Task

18. Watch video at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYnymBdDoUg

19. Visit www.playlistforlife.org.uk for information,
help and resources!
Get in touch at info@playlistforlife.org.uk

20. Q & A