Music and dementia

Seminars in Ageing: Music Interventions in Dementia Care. Prof Felicity Baker (2021)

Music on the brain : the soundtrack of our lives / ABC (2016)
Catalyst takes you inside an extraordinary new program which is revealing that personalised playlists can re-awaken the brains of people with advanced dementia and the impact of music on communication.

Alive inside: A story of music & memory. A film by Michael Rossato-Bennett (2014)
Alive Inside is a joyous cinematic exploration of music’s capacity to reawaken our souls and uncover the deepest parts of our humanity. Filmmaker Michael Rossato-Bennett chronicles the astonishing experiences of individuals around the country who have been revitalized and awakened by the simple act of listening to the music of their youth.

Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me (2014)
In 2011, music legend Glen Campbell set out on an unprecedented tour across America. He thought it would last 5 weeks; instead it went for 151 spectacular sold out shows over a triumphant year and a half. What made this tour extraordinary was that Glen had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He was told to hang up his guitar and prepare for the inevitable. Instead, Glen and his wife went public with his diagnosis and announced that he and his family would set out on a ‘Goodbye Tour.’ The film documents this extraordinary journey as he and his family attempt to navigate the wildly unpredictable nature of Glen’s progressing disease using love, laughter and music as their medicine of choice.

Gladys Wilson and Naomi Feil (2009)
Naomi Feil, founder of Validation Therapy, shares a breakthrough moment of communication with Gladys Wilson, a woman who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and is virtually non-verbal. Naomi uses music that has been significant to Gladys to make this connection.