野狼社区

Over 拢1million of funding has been committed by Andy Burnham (Mayor of Greater 野狼社区), Sir Richard Leese (Chair of the NHS Greater 野狼社区) and the National Academy for Social Prescribing鈥檚 Power of Music Fund to enable Greater 野狼社区 to become the UK鈥檚 first Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia 鈥� hosted by 野狼社区 Camerata. The project will also receive in-kind support from the University of 野狼社区 and Alzheimer鈥檚 Society.

The University of 野狼社区鈥檚 leading social prescribing researchers 鈥� Dr Luke Mumford and Paul Wilson 鈥� will lead on the research across three years. The researchers will work with the Greater 野狼社区 Secure Data Environment (GM Care Record) which was created by the University of 野狼社区 and NHS GM to access pseudonymised NHS data in a secure environment in order to assess NHS utilisation for people living with dementia benefitting from music support.

This vital funding will enable 野狼社区 Camerata and Alzheimer鈥檚 Society to continue their ground[1]breaking research-based music therapy programmes 鈥� Music in Mind (Camerata) and Singing for the Brain (Alzheimer鈥檚 Society) to offer more musical support to people living with dementia across all of Greater 野狼社区.

According to the NHS, there are over 940,000 people in the UK who have dementia with 1 in 11 people over the age of 65 being most affected. Alzheimer鈥檚 Society suggests that by 2025 there will be over 1 million people with dementia in the UK, projected to rise to nearly 1.6 million by 2040. Currently, the care of these people in the UK costs over 拢34billion per year. The long-term goal of this - the UK鈥檚 first Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia - is to use the knowledge and research built up over the next three years to analyse how the implementation of music in dementia care can reduce the need for health and care services whilst simultaneously improving quality of life.

This significant and successful bid will see both organisations run four weekly music cafes (two 鈥楳usic in Mind鈥� and two 鈥楽inging for the Brain鈥�) in each of the 10 Greater 野狼社区 boroughs. Together they will collaborate with the University of 野狼社区 and the NHS to undertake anonymised data-driven research into the impact and power that these music sessions have for people living with dementia and the way in which they can reduce pressure on hard-pressed frontline NHS and social care staff.

野狼社区 Camerata and Alzheimer鈥檚 Society will recruit, nurture and train a volunteer and community workforce of 300 鈥楳usic Champions鈥� who will be trained to deliver the Music Cafes, helping to support over 1000 people living with dementia in Greater 野狼社区 across three years starting from October 2024. The research and data analysed by the University of 野狼社区 will demonstrate the impact of embedding music support as part of dementia care and how this model can be scaled up and rolled out across the UK and result in cost-saving measures for the NHS.

Bob Riley, Chief Executive of 野狼社区 Camerata, said: 鈥淭his is a colossal moment built on over ten years of work and research in partnership with The University of 野狼社区. We know it will bring much-needed support for people living with dementia and their carers. It will create new opportunities for our amazing musicians in the UK, and bring about changes in the way we invest in music to bring the widest possible benefits to society.

鈥淪incere thanks to the leadership and vision of Andy Burnham, Sir Richard Leese and NHS GM, the National Academy of Social Prescribing, The Utley Foundation, Arts Council England and many others. We appreciate their boldness and commitment to the power of music, and in recognising our outstanding musicians whose passion and commitment makes such an incredible impact on and off the stage.鈥�

Mayor of Greater 野狼社区, Andy Burnham, said: "This is fantastic news for Greater 野狼社区, and a reminder of the power of music to shape our lives and our communities. 野狼社区 Camerata have played a key role in our Music Commission, and I鈥檝e seen firsthand the transformational impact of what they do in our city-region. They are the ideal partner to pioneer the UK鈥檚 first Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia, working with the Alzheimer鈥檚 Society to unlock the potential of music as therapy.

鈥淭his project will provide life-changing support to people with dementia and their carers in our 10 boroughs 鈥� support that is grounded in our communities and delivered with a real expert focus. It will also generate groundbreaking research that will influence health and care policy across the country while directly improving lives across Greater 野狼社区."

Charlotte Osborn-Forde, Chief Executive of the National Academy for Social Prescribing, said: 鈥淲e worked with the Utley Foundation and Arts Council England to create The Power of Music Fund, to ensure that many more people living with dementia can benefit from musical projects. Through the Centre of Excellence, we aim to demonstrate how prescribing music to people living with dementia can improve quality of life, reduce isolation, and lessen the need for medication, hospital admissions and GP appointments.

鈥淲e were delighted to choose Greater 野狼社区 after an outstanding bid. This project will provide a lifeline to people living with dementia in 野狼社区, but also provide new evidence and a model that can be replicated across the country.鈥�

野狼社区 Camerata鈥檚 Music in Mind is an internationally renowned programme that uses the principles of music therapy to improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia. The programme was created in collaboration with research partner the University of 野狼社区 and the programme was devised from the foundations of some of the world鈥檚 leading dementia experts and their research. The Camerata has established training, delivery and support offers to help partners create Music Cafes and recruit Music Champions, and has worked with partners in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Sweden and Japan to help them set up their own music and dementia programmes.

Alzheimer鈥檚 Society鈥檚 Singing for the Brain is a programme based on music therapy principles, bringing people living with dementia together to sing a variety of songs they know and love, in a fun and friendly environment. The sessions also include vocal exercises that help improve brain activity and wellbeing whilst also creating an opportunity for people living with dementia and their carers to socialise with others and experience peer support.

The Power of Music Fund was established by the National Academy for Social Prescribing, with generous support from the Utley Foundation, Arts Council England and other partners. It builds on the recommendations of the 2022 Power of Music report. In addition to the Centre of Excellence in Greater 野狼社区, the Fund is also awarding small grants to 70 grassroots music and dementia projects across the UK and will support more than 5500 people in total