Music therapy in dementia care: unlocking memory, emotion, and connection

Did you know that music has the power to awaken memories, reduce anxiety, and create meaningful moments for people living with dementia? Music therapy isn’t just entertainment; it’s a proven approach that improves well-being and strengthens relationships between individuals, families, and care providers.

In this episode of Voices in DREAM, Dr. Brendan Lamb, a lecturer in Creative Arts and Health, and Yashi dive into the role of music therapy in dementia care. They explore how rhythm, melody, and familiar songs can reach parts of the brain untouched by dementia and why this therapeutic tool is so powerful in respite settings.

Tune in to learn about:

• How music therapy supports memory, mood, and communication
• Why music is uniquely effective for people living with dementia
• Practical strategies for integrating music into respite and aged care services
• Real-life examples of how music brings joy and connection
• Tips for families and care workers to use music meaningfully at home and in care

If you work in aged care, respite, or support someone living with dementia, this episode will give you fresh inspiration and practical ideas. 

Dr Brendan Lamb is a graduate from the University of Tasmania’s Conservatorium, having completed a PhD in Musicology, an Honours degree in Music Performance and a Grad Dip in Musicology. He has had more than 10 years of teaching experience coordinating, lecturing and tutoring for Creative Arts and Health, Music Theory and Sociohistorical context. His PhD thesis, ‘Old and New: How the Irish Folk Music Revival of the twentieth century revitalised and modified Irish music’, focused on the musical and cultural impact of the Irish folk music revival on Irish traditional music and the significance of key performers and ensembles in the progress of the Irish music tradition. His research interests include creative arts and neuroscience, Irish traditional music, jazz performance and history and ludo musicology. He has also published in Musicology Australia researching the use of music and varying stylistic elements to reinforce place and period in fantasy video games, and also Irish folk music of the mid-twentieth century.