A Manchester orchestra has collaborated with universities and the medical community to launch a dementia music therapy program throughout the city.
The programs help individuals with dementia live better lives and reduce the need for health and care services by providing them with musical support.
Mayor Andy Burnham, the Power of Music Fund, and NHS Greater Manchester have pledged almost $1 million in funding, allowing Manchester Camerata and the Alzheimer's Society to carry out their music therapy initiatives, 'Music in Mind' and 'Singing for the Brain.'
Manchester Camerata will work with the University of Manchester and the Alzheimer's Society to provide music cafes, relieving some of the workload for frontline medical workers.
The NHS estimates that around 940,000 people in the UK are suffering from dementia. According to projections from the Alzheimer's Society, the number of individuals with dementia in the UK is expected to exceed one million by 2025 and increase to around 1.6 million by 2040.
The UK spends over $42 billion annually on care for these individuals.
"This is a place that has always understood the power of music," Burnham told Classic FM about his city.
Furthermore, the successful bid will allow the Camerata and Alzheimer's Society to host two 'Music in Mind' and two 'Singing for the Brain' weekly music cafes in each of the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester.
Together, they will work with the NHS and the University of Manchester to conduct anonymous data-driven research on the benefits and effects of these music sessions for dementia patients and how they help ease the workload of overworked frontline NHS and social care staff.
