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Power of Music - Music in Herts Dementia Care

Led by Age UK Hertfordshire, in partnership with the Hertfordshire Care Providers Association (HCPA), Music24, Hertfordshire County Council and other expert organisations, and forming part of the Hertfordshire Dementia Strategy Delivery programme led by the Hertfordshire Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism (MHLDA) Health and Care Partnership, the project will develop and deliver a comprehensive training programme for care professionals.

Music and Wellbeing

  • Music has been proven to help people with dementia communicate, reduce anxiety and depression, improve self-esteem, stimulate memory, and reconnect with their cultural identity.
  • This initiative will create personalised music experiences for residents by considering their musical preferences and histories.
  • Care staff will be trained in various techniques, including passive and active music listening, singing and playing instrument, talking about music and encouraging reminiscence, and dancing and movement-based engagement

The Training Programme

The training programme will be co-produced with experts, care staff, and people living with dementia, ensuring it meets real-life needs and creates lasting impact. Music24, a local charity specialising in music therapy, will lead the training development alongside HCPA, drawing on expertise from organisations such as Herts Musical Memories, Music for My Mind, and the Hertfordshire Music Service.

To ensure sustainability, the programme will establish a Music Champion’s Network, providing ongoing peer support and professional development for trained staff. The initiative will also be evaluated in partnership with the University of Hertfordshire and Hertfordshire County Council Public Health, ensuring robust data collection to measure the long-term impact on staff confidence, resident wellbeing, and care home culture

Power of Music - Music in Herts Dementia Care

Through this project, Hertfordshire is set to help lead the way in embedding music into dementia care on a large scale, influencing both local and national approaches. The Centre of Excellence will not only support care homes but also eventually extend training opportunities to community groups, mental health services, and hospices, ensuring that more people can benefit from the life-changing power of music

Further details on this programme will follow as it develops over the next few months. We look forward to working with all partners in this exciting initiative!

For further information, please contact Adam Thapar at adam.thapar@ageukherts.org.uk