Memories are a large part of who we are. Music helps us remember things – from mother-love to times-tables. But memories can fade – it’s a normal part of ageing and can happen with illness, accident or dementia. A Music Mirrors is a brief life story in our own words, with sounds and music embedded to spark memories later. Not a playlist but a memory toolkit…
- Heather Edwards
For most of us, memory loss is a normal part of ageing, but it can also be the result of dementia or other conditions affecting our brain.
Whatever the reason, one way of holding on to our personal memories is to hook them up to music which has meant something to us.
We all know moments when hearing a simple snatch of music opens up a whole world of memories and feelings and makes us think of people, places, words and times we have long forgotten.
Music Mirrors helps people at an early stage of memory loss — or even before that — to make very simple digital resources which link their life stories told in their own words to recorded music.
This is done in such a way that the words and music are easily portable to follow someone all through their journey. If they move from one care setting to another or go into hospital, the information can readily be passed to help them connect with unfamiliar carers who might have few other clues for getting to know them.
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