Do you orchestrate activities to include people with dementia and their loved ones? Or do you and your loved one have a playlist you co-create to support your daily care routine?

Whether it’s a nostalgia trip down memory lane or a local concert, I’d love to read/hear about it and add it to this anthology.

Summary of the resources, creators and organisations identified during Dementia Action Week 2025.

This anthology continues to expand with the discovery of new resources, initiatives and growing evidence that music and creativity have on our health and wellbeing

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Hello, Dear Reader! Welcome to our new Carer Mentor community members!

I’m Victoria. You can read why I’m publishing Carer Mentor here: Who Started Carer Mentor and Why?

My Father had a litany of health issues that were destabilised by a major hospitalisation in 2015: congestive heart failure and rheumatoid arthritis were compounded with a diagnosis of vascular dementia and then bladder cancer.

It was heartbreaking to see the proud, gregarious, highly intelligent man who knew numerous languages lose his ability to reason from A to B to C, lose his sense of time and space, and shrink inward. We were able to care for him at home until he passed in 2020. It was a rollercoaster with accelerated declines, yet we still had small, precious moments together—bittersweet joy.

Amidst the fragile, unstable whirlwind, there were brief, calm periods in the day when I could breathe more easily, watching over Dad—we always played some classical music.

In these moments, he could catch his breath and rest, and I made mental snapshots, using all my senses. I needed these small, precious memory moments to be the antidote to the other painful crappy times.

Thank you for taking the time to be part of this community network.

This is the second dementia anthology I’m curating with our Carer Mentor community network. The first Dementia Anthology shares our personal experiences and thoughts.

Why Dementia, Music and Creativity?

In 2024, several writers and I demonstrated the power of music and its importance in our relationships. Naomi Feil's Dementia Care and her ‘Validation Theory’ to connect with Dementia Sufferers is inspiring:

• 'Music Memory is more powerful than words.' Empathy and human connection via music can overcome the Dementia Disconnect.

• Connecting with Dementia Sufferers. Empathy, 'Validation Method' as published by Naomi Feil and Music.

The Premise: I’ve read several articles that have made me more curious about the connection between music and Dementia care, not just to connect but also to engage in activities together.

The Question: How can we engage, encourage, and empower loved ones and friends with Dementia? I focused on music first, but this could involve any creative activity.

This may not resonate with your caregiving situation, so please don’t think I’m pushing anyone to ‘do more’ or create activities for their loved one with dementia.

I want to share the experiences I’ve read that've inspired me through creativity, music, and social engagement—the uplifting ‘humaning’ stories.

My curiosity led me to discover the work of several individuals and charities who leverage their skills and knowledge to connect with Dementia sufferers. They develop accessible opportunities for fun and enjoyment, and create quality moments with friends and families—for Example, Tony Luciani and Michelle Memran, Marc Barnacle and Anthony Cirillo.

This Anthology is an open collaboration with Carer Mentor subscribers.

This Anthology Directory:

• Anna Du Pen at Betwixt and Between Proxy

• Marc Barnacle at Marc Barnacle Guitar

• Anthony Cirillo at The Ageing Experience

• Amy Standridge at Grace Notes Community Singers

• Raymond Leone at Music Therapy/Music Musings

• Michael Cirigliano II at Shades of Blue

• Institute for Music and Neurologic Function

• Playlist for Life

• The Brain Charity

• Alzheimer’s & Dementia Resource Center and its Director of Arts and Wellness Ashely Gravatte.

• Music for Health and Wellbeing Initiative By the Global Wellness Institute

• Useful links to organisations and Symptoms Checklist

The Articles

• "Empowering People Living With Dementia" - The Brain Charity. Dementia Action Week (UK) 2025 By Victoria

• Mindfully Using Music with Dementia, and 'A Playlist for Life.' Dementia Action Week (UK) 2025. Engaging, Creating and Empowering with Music, an evidence-based tool in Dementia. By Victoria

• Dementia and Photography: Photobombs and Communicating through Creativity. Tony Luciani and his mother Elia create photos to depict living with Dementia. Michelle Menran discusses the making of her 2018 documentary film "The Rest I Make Up," which follows María Irene Fornés, the groundbreaking playwright, director and teacher, through her journey with dementia.

• Grief to Gratitude Finding your life soundtrack by . Anna has shared how music has woven through her life’s love story. This is a beautiful testament to how music serves as a powerful conduit to our most heartfelt memories and life events.

• Seeing the Person, Not the Diagnosis What happens when people living with dementia are given the chance to create by “There’s something magical that happens when people feel safe to create and express themselves - and my charity are privileged to witness this on a weekly basis.”

• “Live” Stream Music Concerts for older adults, caregivers and senior living by “Real-time, interactive. Artists take requests and shout-out viewers! Affordable and easy to use, music concerts support social, emotional and cognitive wellness.”

• Experience Joy and Hope Together Grace Notes Community Singers weekly newsletter. By . I found this article by Amy and was impressed to read that in October, 2023 the Grace Notes Community Singers received an invitation to perform at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference at the San Antonio Riverwalk. I recommend exploring Amy’s articles.

  Thriving Care Partners: A Journey of Hope and Connection

  As we walk alongside our loved ones through the journey of dementia, it's a common misconception that this path is only about illness and decline. However, with the right support and activities, many individuals with dementia can continue to experience moments of joy, connection, and even growth. At Grace Notes Community Singers, families living with dementia rediscover joy through uplifting music experiences.

• Spotlight Article: Meet Ashley Gravatte.

  When she was a girl, Ashley Gravatte treasured the moments spent on her grandfather’s lap, playing the organ. When she was 10, he bought her a piano and a year’s worth of lessons, a gift that influenced her entire life’s trajectory. She’s since made a career braiding music, art and healing work.

  Now, as the Alzheimer’s & Dementia Resource Center’s Director of Arts and Wellness, Gravatte’s passion has earned her recognition as an Orlando Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree.

  ADRC Music Box Initiative hits a high note for people with dementia By

  ADRC

  Ashley Gravatte has been very busy.

  The Alzheimer’s & Dementia Resource Center’s Director of Arts and Wellness created the Music Box Initiative — a program that offers people navigating dementia-related brain changes the opportunity to receive instruments, custom playlists and engagement ideas.

• In The Hospital Music Belongs... Music Therapy Belongs by . I’d heard about music therapy before, but not like this. Raymond enables us to sit alongside him as he offers music to patients and their loved ones. Music connects, enables communication and emotional release, I highly recommend reading Raymond’s articles.

  “From the outside, it may have looked as if something in this scenario did not belong. Or, it may have looked ‘nice’ to have someone ‘performing’ some music for the patient. However, on the inside, it (the music) made a difference for all involved. On the inside, the music was presented with intention, clinically, and working towards achieving a goal—to help reduce anxiety. On the inside, music therapy was an integral part of the medical treatment plan - A non-pharmacological intervention based on scientific evidence and research.”

• Why I’m devoting this newsletter to melancholy classical music. What is life, if not a symphony of sorrowful songs? by . Music therapy is not just about nostalgia, memories and good times. This is why I appreciate Michael’s publication.

  “No matter my mood (but especially when I was feeling a blistering sense of ennui and melancholy, as was often the case for Gen Xers in the '90s), I could come to this music to confront my emotional depths, soar through my emotional highs, and find a profound sense of communion with composers who experienced challenges in their lives similar to those I faced. And I could do that whenever I wanted.”

• Music for Health and Wellbeing Initiative By the Global Wellness Institute. An article outlining five 2025 trends showing how music is increasingly used to support health and wellbeing, spanning research validation, musicians’ mental health, creativity for mental wellness, tech-enabled interventions for individuals, and the rise of mindful listening spaces (spotlighting London).

If you have an article you’d like to share, let me know in the comments.

Thank you for taking the time to be part of this community network.

Please remember to ‘❤️’ LIKE the article to guide others to these resources.

Your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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Thank you for spending some of your precious time and energy reading this article.

I’m Victoria. You can read why I’m publishing Carer Mentor here: Who Started Carer Mentor and Why?

You’ll find iCARE Stack in the top line menu of the Carer Mentor’s homepage:

Alternatively, click here: iCARE Stack

The iCARE Stack: Indexes, Spotlight and Anthologies.

The Carer Mentor website aims to support the person behind the caregiving. Supporting the caregiver helps them care for their loved ones, but more importantly, caregivers deserve support given all they do. Caregivers aren’t superhuman heroes, we’re imperfect, fallible and mortal, just like any other human! So, we need support.

I’m creating content that explores caregiving and receiving care from the perspectives of various health conditions and illnesses, including dementia and cancer. I focus on the ones I’ve experienced first-hand with family and friends.

I hope that curating anthologies of lived experiences can offer any reader a dynamic way to explore other people’s insights and find resonance.

The iCARE Stack Vision

A reliable Go-To Hub. A portal to other authors/writers/creators’ publications focused on caregiving or to creators who share their experience as part of their wider portfolio content. I curate the indexes and anthologies, so you don’t have to spend your precious time and energy scrolling or searching.

I curate the information based on my personal experience and journey—what I would have wanted to read. It will never be a complete compendium, but it’s a great starting point when you have limited time! A portal of hope and community networking support!

Please remember, there is no right or wrong way to give or receive care. We are ALL perfectly imperfect humans trying our best each day.

Let’s share some empathy, inspiration, and network support.

It’s so easy to feel alone when we’re suffering from a chronic condition or caring for someone. You are not alone.

I hope something in this stack will resonate.

Explore iCARE Stack

Watch out for the next addition to the iCARE Stack!

Thank you for being here, reading Carer Mentor: Empathy and Inspiration and being part of this community network.

If you found something that resonated with you, contained useful information, or led to a new connection, and would like to show your support, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for £6 per month or £50 per year.

Please remember to ‘❤️’ LIKE the article to guide others to these resources.

Thank you!

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Dear Readers, Thank you for being here and using some of your precious time to read Carer Mentor. Our Carer Mentor community keeps growing!

I’m Victoria. You can read why I’m publishing Carer Mentor here: Who Started Carer Mentor and Why?

One aim of the Carer Mentor Mission is to dispel the myth that caregivers1 are superhuman heroes here to do a job. In the UK, we are called ‘unpaid carers’, which differentiates us from ‘professional carers’ who are part of the UK economy. Yet, WE are the glue and the backbone enabling care in the absence of available care resources (at the end of 2024, social care reform has been postponed to 2025 by the UK government). We interface with people and systems that only see us as conduits, tools, translators, buffers, or administrators.

We have needs and wants. We assert ourselves to advocate for our loved ones and go the extra mile to ensure our rights and safety are considered. We eventually learn to survive and then try to navigate our way to thrive in our new norm of caregiving. Or worse, some people sleepwalk into caregiving after a crisis and become ground down by cyclical burnout.

For once, I’d like us to put the Spotlight firmly on the caregiver—the person, the human. We are more than our acts of giving care. We have talents, passions, interests and gifts beyond those of caregiving.

Just so you know, Carer Mentor is currently on Substack, a platform that started with its readership in the USA. Although approximately 60% of our community is based in the US, we are a global community. Every country has a different healthcare system, social care system/services, and its own pros and cons.

I urge us to be open, supportive and caring AND be mindful that access/availability to care support and services and our financial circumstances are different for each of us. Thank you!

March 5 Spotlight Article

Caregiver's Spotlight: Jeanette Yates. 'Jeanette is a writer, public speaker, and caregiver coach for women.' In this second Caregiver Spotlight, Jeanette introduces herself, and I highlight her YouTube interview with Micheal Pope.

October 18 Spotlight Article

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Footnotes