Personalised playlists for dementia (Music & Memory)

Domain VIII · Creative & expressive arts therapies · Dan Cohen · 2010 · Long Island, New York

What it is

Music & Memory is a non-profit community/arts-in-health programme, not a psychotherapy and not music therapy. It was founded in 2010 by Dan Cohen, its founder and former Executive Director (Atlas attribution confirmed), who piloted it as a volunteer at a care organisation on Long Island, New York,…

Format

• Individual course (per person):
• Versions differ on playlist size. The 2024 care guide aims for 10–25 absolute favourites; the at-home guide aims for at least 100 selections and playlists of 150+; Playlist for Life prefers a short list of meaningful songs over a long one. Follow the care guide for residential settings and treat…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Professional frame. No credential is required to run Music & Memory beyond its own certification, which is organisational training, not a clinical licence. Music therapy is a separate profession: in the USA the MT-BC credential from the Certification Board for Music Therapists requires an AMTA-approved academic and clinical programme, an exam and 5-yearly recertification; in the UK music therapists must be…
• Version followed: MUSIC & MEMORY® certified programme as set out in the organisation's Implementation Guide: Launch a Successful Personalized Music Program (© 2024 edition) and MUSIC & MEMORY® at Home: A Caregiver's Guide to Creating Personalized Playlists (undated, pp. 1–21), supplemented by the Brown University METRIcAL implementation brief (Uth et al., 2021), Dementia UK (2023) and Playlist for Life guidance for…
• What it is. Music & Memory is a non-profit community/arts-in-health programme, not a psychotherapy and not music therapy. It was founded in 2010 by Dan Cohen, its founder and former Executive Director (Atlas attribution confirmed), who piloted it as a volunteer at a care organisation on Long Island, New York, with a laptop, three iPods and 10 residents, revisiting playlists every two weeks. Care staff, volunteers or…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Over-long genre playlists that dilute meaning.
• Family grief responses; offer them space and support.
• Headphones in the way of washing or meals; switch to a speaker.
• Flat batteries (the most common reason a device "doesn't work") and lost devices.
• Pleasure in being able to contribute; this is often a moment of connection in itself.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.