Radio station for people with dementia starts broadcasting

A new internet radio station created for people living with dementia and their carers – backed by DJ Lauren Laverne – has launched.

m4d Radio is available at m4dradio.com via any internet-enabled device including computers, tablets, mobile phones, smart TVs and other devices.

Through careful focus group research and feedback the music has been curated to provide an instant source of meaningful and appropriate music at any time of the day or night.

In addition to being free, m4d Radio is non-commercial and does not contain any advertisements, which can be distracting or confusing for people living with dementia.

Similarly, the talking sections of each programme are kept to a minimum while giving structure to the schedule by highlighting upcoming or just-played tracks.

The new radio station has been backed by DJ Lauren Laverne, who has recorded a welcome message for the stations and is also spearheading a celebrity song dedication campaign on social media.

The #Song4You campaign on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is gathering a following of celebrities dedicating a song to someone they know who is affected by dementia.

‘We all instinctively know how music can help connect us to others, but for people living with dementia music provides a lifeline,’ said Ms Laverne.

‘When words fail, music has the power to reach people emotionally and in many cases trigger memories.

‘We’d love to see as many people as possible getting involved in the #Song4You challenge, help build the m4d Radio playlist and crucially, help improve the wellbeing of so many who are affected by this awful disease.’

Music for Dementia programme director, Grace Meadows, added: ‘We know that music enriches the lives of people living with dementia and during lockdown the benefits of music for everyone have become even more felt. Providing a choice of era-specific stations to cater for different age groups means the music on m4d Radio has more resonance to enhance quality of life.

‘There are 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK and m4d Radio brings music direct to their homes. The initiative amplifies Music for Dementia’s aim of making music freely available to this ever-growing group of people.

‘We are continually developing the content on the station and welcome involvement and feedback from people living with dementia and their carers to provide a station that’s a first port of call for music that means something more,’ she added.

Photo Credit -Smorazanm (Pixabay)