A whole Lotto difference
DID you know that every time you play a game from The National Lottery, you are helping to contribute to around £30million of funding given to good causes every week, enabling communities across the UK to achieve extraordinary things? It’s impossible to overestimate the power of music, but for dementia sufferers especially its impact is incredible.
“It’s like plucking the sun out of the sky and giving it to them,” says Helena Muller. “It gives them the ability to communicate again.”
Helena is founder and chief executive of Lost Chord, a charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for people living with dementia, using music to stimulate interaction and increase awareness and self-esteem.
Last year it received a massive boost from The National Lottery to ensure its survival.
Started 19 years ago in 11 residential homes, it’s expanded into South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, with other schemes now in Coventry, Cardiff, London and Ipswich.
Helena explains: “I was doing work with the Alzheimer’s Society and Live Music Now, set up by Yehudi Menuhin. I was bowled over that you could have someone slumped on a beanbag, showing no signs of life but, when you introduced them to music, they’d clap and start to sing. I set up Lost Chord which goes from strength to strength.”
From a group of 150 musicians, two perform a programme of music, song and dance, with over 1,000 sessions each year in 100-plus homes.
“Music reaches into the soul of a person with dementia. It’s the key that unlocks the door behind which a frightened, intimidated and humiliated person hides. “Imagine what it’s like, trying to communicate, but you can’t remember words or string them together,” says Helena. “People stop listening and, gradually, the person with dementia withdraws. Music can help that person to communicate in song and dance. It brings joy.” It costs a lot of money to run Lost Chord and every year Helena worries she’s not going to have enough to keep it going. “Then a gift like the £50,000 from The People’s Projects comes along,” she says. “The money paid for musicians, as well as travel costs and administration, and you say ‘thank God for that’. It’s incredible.” Silverline Memories was by started four years ago offer support for Sandra Hastings to people affected by dementia. Projects As a winner of The People’s more than 2017, the group received Lottery funding £48,000 in National minibus for day meaning it could buy a activities. trips, lunch clubs and bus, everything “Now we have our own says Sandra. can be spent on services,”