Music and new technology can help those with dementia

There are around 100,000 people in Scotland living with dementia, but can new technology and the use of music help them and their families feel more connected?

The Open University in Scotland is hosting a free lecture in Glasgow’s Mitchell Library on Tuesday 30 May at 5.15pm with keynote speaker, Honorary Graduate and founder of the charity Playlist for Life, Sally Magnusson.

Sally (pictured left) not only has personal experience of looking after her mother, who lived with the condition for many years, but her charity encourages families and carers of people with dementia to provide them with a playlist of personally meaningful music on an iPod.

Sally Magnusson said:

We need to move research away from purely biomedical solutions – important as they are – towards interventions to make the lives of people living with dementia easier, and to make the most of their potential that still exists.

She will be joined by Dr Caroline Holland, Senior Research Fellow in the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care from The Open University. Caroline will discuss using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and other technologies to enable people with dementia to get out and about in the community and improve their social connectedness.

Susan Stewart, Director of The Open University in Scotland, said:

We are delighted to welcome our guest speakers and hope this lecture will give people working in social care new ideas, as well as help the families of those with dementia to learn new ways to maintain family and wider connections with their loved ones.

Sally Magnusson was granted an Honorary Degree by The Open University in 2016, an award it reserves for those who share its aim of promoting social justice through the development of knowledge and skills.

The free event, How can music and technology help people with dementia stay socially connected, will take place on Tuesday 30 May at 5.15pm in the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. Tickets can be reserved in advance here.