Music Therapy Eases Distress in Dementia Patients.

In 2025, researchers from Anglia Ruskin University and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust ran a pilot program called MELODIC on two hospital wards for people with dementia. They brought in a music therapist to lead sessions and make custom music plans for each patient, aiming to prevent and handle tough emotions without always using meds.

The findings were positive: patients had slight improvements in quality-of-life scores, and their distress got less intense and less bothersome to staff. Agitation ticked up a little, but there were no extra bad events or incidents from the therapy. It was cheap too—just £2,025 monthly for the therapist plus £400 for startup gear.

If someone you know has dementia, consider adding music therapy to their care plan.