Playlist for Life is a dementia charity that uses music to improve the lives of people living with dementia. Our vision is simple: we want everyone living with dementia to have a unique personal playlist and everyone who cares for them to know how to use it.

Music has been proven to alleviate some of the common symptoms dementia and help reconnect people to their own memories and to their loved ones. A recent World Health Organisation study found that music reduced agitation, anxiety and behavioural problems, supported cognition, and reduced the need for anti-psychotic drugs. 

Dementia is one of the biggest health issues in the UK: 850,000 people currently live with dementia and that number is rising quickly. One in three of us will be affected by dementia in some way during our lives. With no cure and no meaningful pharmacological treatment available, non-pharmacological approaches to helping people living with dementia are vital.

Our values of inclusion, trust, respect, and empowerment are central to our work and inform the enabling approach we take. We know that we alone will never make playlists for everyone living with dementia in the UK. Instead, we give families and carers the skills and knowledge they need to make and use playlists effectively. By cascading knowledge, skills and confidence to the people who need it we ensure playlists stay within a community long after we have withdrawn. Since 2016 we have trained 6,778 people, set up 868 community Help Points throughout the UK, and spoken to 36,251 people directly.