大象传媒

Nick Radford, from Falmouth, shares a very personal playlist, which is dedicated to anyone suffering from Alzheimer鈥檚 disease or dementia.

He says his tape is: 鈥渄edicated to anyone suffering from the disease (including my dad), and those who care for them - remembering the forgotten through the medium of music, the good times, nostalgia and happiness it evokes.

With my dad, music can trigger a thread of conversation, of his youth, living in London in the 60s, or bring back memories of good times, dancing, and meeting my mum. The happiness remains emotionally for a long period after the conversation, while the subject of conversation is often forgotten almost immediately.

To quote the Alzheimer鈥檚 Society: Music possesses a power beyond what words can describe, especially for people with dementia. Language is processed through just one centre of the brain but music鈥檚 unique qualities of pitch, rhythm and melody are processed by many different parts of the brain. Music therapy takes the power of music to explore what cannot be described by words. Music reduces stress, decreases anxiety, agitation and depression. Music can also set a mood.

My better half, Helen (a writer) and myself (an illustrator) are working on a children鈥檚 book inspired by the positive effects of music on memory, especially Alzheimer鈥檚 sufferers. We have a couple of littl鈥檜ns, and feel something they can relate to might help them understand their Grandpa鈥檚 condition. We鈥檙e in the early stages of research and character development for the book, and would love to take this opportunity to reach out to your listeners, who may have experiences of how music has helped loved ones with the disease, especially any musicians who suffer from it. This could shape a character, theme or narrative for the story, in addition to our own experiences with my dad.鈥�

Nick鈥檚 Playlist:
The Map & the Light - We Are Muffy (Tapete Records); written by Angeline Morrison, about her Grandad who had dementia, the lyrics have really inspired our book.
Music Is Alive (first one in Dance To The Medley) - Sly & The Family Stone
Remember That Sunday - Phyllis Dillon & Alton Ellis
Song For My Father - Horace Silver
Dreams To Remember - Otis Redding
Forever - The Little Dippers
Over The Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo鈥檕le
Facing West - The Staves
Don鈥檛 You Forget About Me - Micah P Hinson
Sunset Soon Forgotten - Iron & Wine
The Young Mods Forgotten Story - The Impressions
Don鈥檛 Take My Mind - Bettye Swann
Days / Do You Remember Walter? - The Kinks
Not Fade Away - Buddy Holly
The Art of Forgetting - The Stepkids
Hard Row To Hoe - Otis Lee

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