Real stories

People affected by dementia try simple music players and music activity cards

Newport’s Dementia Voice group meets every month in the St Julians area of the city, a chance for carers and people with dementia to use their lived experience to make a difference.

It’s described by group member Diane as welcoming environment.

‘We trust each other, we feel comfortable and we can speak honestly,’ she says.

Newport is a musical city, known for its alternative rock scene. And this is a group full of music lovers – so we’re in the right place to try out a simple music player and activity cards to stimulate music activities.

Benefits of music

The session starts with a chat about the importance of music to our group members.

Lyndon Owen, the creator of the Simple Music Player, says that the impact of music is the reason the player was designed in the first place.

‘People with dementia become more alert and lucid with music,’ he says.

The Simple Music Player comes in three finishes – red, green and walnut – and looks pretty sleek and stylish. So stylish, in fact, that it’s in the Smithsonian Design Museum in New York.

‘It’s like an old-fashioned radiogram,’ says group member Billy and everyone nods in agreement.

‘The look of it alone brings back memories,’ chips in Diane.

Every aspect of the player is designed with simplicity in mind. It starts playing music as soon as you open the lid and the music stops when you flip the lid down.

How the Simple Music Player works

There’s only one button, which skips to the next track, and the volume is fixed using controls on the underside of the player. It’s also robust and doesn’t consume any energy when it’s not being used.

The player can be loaded with music – or audio books – from your home computer or phone. It also now comes with a USB stick, so other people can come round to yours and bring music to play.

‘A great feature if you’re having a get-together at Christmas for example,’ says Lyndon.

Group feedback on the Simple Music Player

The group is given the opportunity to use the player and feed back on every aspect, from the way it’s packaged and its cost to instructions and key features.

Currently none of the group members use a music player like this one.

Both Billy and Ian use voice-controlled smart speakers to play music and for other jobs like turning on lights, while most of the others use CDs.

But the group agrees that the player is great idea and that the sound quality is brilliant. The one-button functionality is a huge talking point.

‘It’s a really good idea – beautiful and stylish,’ says Shirley.

Diane thinks it has wide appeal.

It’s not only good for older people and those with dementia but other people with physical disabilities and young children.

The single-page instructions, which are also deliberately simple, are a hit too.

And everyone agrees it would be straightforward to set up – and they have younger family members who could help if they were flummoxed.

‘I think I would be fine downloading music to it,’ says Liz. ‘I’ve recently worked out how to link up our TV to YouTube, so we can watch concerts, such as Glastonbury.’

Simple design of the Simple Music Player

The player needs to be plugged in – it can’t run on batteries.

‘So you can’t carry it around like a boombox in the 80s,’ jokes Ian.

There’s also no handle on the player because it’s designed to be put in one place and left, explains Lyndon. Having said that, it’s not too heavy that it couldn’t be moved when needed.

It has a headphone port at the back, but it’s not Bluetooth compatible so can’t be used with wireless headphones or speakers. And you can’t live-stream music from it either, for example using Spotify.

‘This means we can keep it simple and affordable,’ explains Lyndon.

This doesn’t detract from the positives, the group agrees.

‘Simplicity is important’, says Diane.

Simple DAB radio

Lyndon also shows the group the easy-to-use DAB radio his company has created – the Koto Easy Radio.

This can be linked with Bluetooth devices and features FM as well as digital stations. They’ll soon be producing a battery-powered model and it has a handle, so it will be portable.

‘I love the retro look’, says Billy.

Take Note activity cards

The group also looks at a music resource for carers called Take Note.

This is a big box of colourful cards, containing 100 different ideas for using music. The activities are selected for older people and you don’t need any music training or ability to benefit. Each one is tried and tested by the authors.

The cards are split into themes such as ‘Socialising’, ‘Moving’ and ‘Remembering’, and everyone in the Newport group thinks that the activities sound enjoyable and easy to follow.

‘I could imagine these would be useful in an environment such as a memory café or care home,’ says Billy. 

And it’s not only people with dementia who could benefit.

Anything that injects more music into our everyday lives is an excellent idea, says Ian.

‘Music is a brilliant comfort and takes you to particular places and moments, and it’s great for stress too.’

Product prices

• Simple Music Player in red – £109.99 including VAT.
• Simple Music Player in green – £109.99 including VAT.
• Simple Music Player in walnut burr – £141.99 including VAT.
• Koto Easy Radio – £80 including VAT.
• Take Note cards – £39.99 including VAT.

You can buy these specially designed products and many others VAT free if they’re for use by a person with dementia or other conditions, saving 20%. Tick the box stating that you’re eligible for VAT relief at checkout.