Young@Heart taking part in BBC Music Day 2019

As music is one of the mainstays of the Young@Heart Cafe we were delighted to hear that disco maestro and Chic head honcho Nile Rodgers is working with the BBC to bring music to people with dementia by 2020.

Rodgers will be ambassador for BBC Music Day on Thursday 26 September this year when hundreds of events will be taking place up and down the UK.

This special day includes the first ever music and dementia festival, co-created by people living with dementia and the first NHS Dementia Village will be opening its doors ahead of the launch.

Nile has first-hand experience of the disease as his mother Beverly lived with dementia for 13 years.

“The UK is my home from home so I’m delighted to be an Ambassador for BBC Music Day and to highlight the important role music plays in the well-being of our society,”

“I’ve witnessed my mother’s and my aunt’s experience with dementia and I know just how transformational music can be for people with this condition.”

He explained to the BBC that he had never heard his mother sing aloud until she developed Alzheimer’s.

“Every time we passed any kind of shop that was playing music, she would start to sing,” he said.

“Anything that was old, she knew perfectly. So a Frank Sinatra song would come on, or Diana Ross or Barbra Streisand. My mom just nailed it. It was incredible.”

You’ll be pleased to hear that Young@Heart Cafe is taking part in the festival along with 50 plus organisations, including Dementia UK, Music for Dementia 2020, Rock Choir and Playlist for Life.