Is astrology real?

Reading horoscopes is a popular diversion, but is there any science

to suggest it means anything?

As many as 70 million Americans read their horoscopes daily. Well, that’s at least according
to the American Federation of Astrologers. According to a study done twenty years ago by
the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 25 percent of Americans believed that the positions
of the stars and the planets affect our daily lives. In 2012, the General Social Survey found
that 34 percent of Americans surveyed consider astrology to be "very" or "sort of
scientific" and also reported a decrease—from two-thirds to around one-half—in the
fraction of people who consider astrology "not at all scientific."

Astrology is generally defined as the belief that astronomical phenomena, like the stars
overhead when you were born or the fact that Mercury is in retrograde, have the power to
influence the daily events in our lives and our personality traits. This is, of course, very
different from the study of astronomy, which is the scientific study of celestial objects,
space, and the physics of the universe.

Astrology is very different from the study of astronomy, which is the scientific study of
celestial objects, space, and the physics of the universe.
A specific aspect of astrology—the forecasting of a person’s future or the offering of advice
on daily activities via horoscopes—is particularly growing in popularity. Magazines like The
Cut reported an increase of 150 percent more hits on horoscope pages in 2017 than in
2016.

Clearly, lots of people are looking for ways to interpret the stars for advice. Astrology is
founded on understanding the positions of the stars, which seems like a scientific enough
pursuit in itself. But is there any science to back up whether astrology impacts our
personality and our lives?

Here’s the short Answer: No. None whatsoever.

But since I have you for five more minutes of this six-minute-or-so podcast to fill, let’s look
at exactly how astrology has been tested.

What does your astrological sign mean?

We sit on a rock—made of nickel, iron, silicon, oxygen, and other minerals—that orbits our
star at 67,000 miles per hour. From our perspective, it appears the backdrop provided by
the sky moves overhead. The sun rises and sets. The constellations appear overhead four
minutes earlier each night. But of course, we are the ones moving. The Earth rotates about
its axis bringing the sun into and then out of view.
The Earth also moves through our solar system, making one full lap around the sun every
365 days. As we make this lap, we’re pointed at different directions in the sky and thus see
different stars overhead. (Unless, of course, you are near one of the poles, and then you
don’t get as much variety as far as constellations go.) The twelve “signs” given in a
horoscope map out the zodiac: the twelve constellations we pass by on our year-long trip.
So when you say you’re an Aries, that means you were born late March to mid-April, and
the Sun was toward the constellation Aries.

Since the time when astronomers and astrologers alike started laying out the the zodiac on
the sky some 2,000 years ago, our position relative to those constellations has drifted off by
about 30 degrees or one whole month.

Except that’s not quite right. You see, the Earth also has an additional form of motion,
called precession, which is a fancy word for wobble. The Earth wobbles about its axis a little
as it spins. You can think of a top that is starting to slow down after you’ve set it to spin.
This motion is slight—tracing out one loop of this wobble takes 26,000 years—but it adds
up.

Since the time when astronomers and astrologers alike started laying out the the zodiac on
the sky some 2,000 years ago, our position relative to those constellations has drifted off by
about 30 degrees or one whole month. This means that you may think you’re an Aries, but if
horoscopes were connected to their present day constellations, you’d actually be more like
a Pisces.

Is astrology scientific?
In 1985, physicist Shawn Carlson conducted a double-blind test of the idea that
astrological charts could accurately describe our personality traits and published his results
in the journal Nature.

Carlson asked 30 American and European astrologers, ranked by their peers as among the
best, to review the astrological charts for 116 people without meeting them in person. He
then provided three personality descriptions for each of the 116 people. One description
was the one that actually described the subject. The other two were real personality
descriptions … but they described other people. Carlson asked the astrologers to match the
right personality with the person’s astrological chart.

Overall, the astrologers matched one in three charts correctly, so their results were no
better than they would be based on random chance.
The result? The astrologers were only able to make the correct match one-third of the time.
In other words, given three personality descriptions for a subject, you’d have a one in three
chance of picking the right one. Overall, the astrologers matched one in three charts
correctly, so their results were no better than they would be based on random chance.
Carlson concluded that astrologers likely work off of the body language and reactions of
their clients during in-person meetings to improve their odds at correctly guessing relevant
details about their lives. That art is known as cold reading.

Is astrology harmless fun?

Many people report reading their horoscopes just for entertainment. The most generous
interpretation is that this form of astrology is just harmless fun.
However more critical interpretations, like that of sociologist Theodor Adorno in the 1950s,
claim that belief in astrology leads more easily to a belief in authoritarian values and a more
easily controlled populace. If your future is already decided, then why bother trying to
address your own failures or to strive for something better?
Here’s the bottom line. Astrology fails to predict life event outcomes any better than
chance. It also fails to provide a mechanism by which it could work. What exactly is the
connection between the stars overhead when you were born and whether or not you should
make big decisions in the summer? My searches for any such explanations came up empty.
The Importance of Empathy and Compassion
Can you imagine how cold it would be to live in a world where nobody cared how you
felt or stopped to listen to understand your thoughts? It would likely be one
characterized by loneliness and feelings of isolation. Empathy and compassion are both
admirable qualities to have, and they make the world a warmer place. Having these
qualities can make it possible for you to connect with people on a deeper level.

Empathy is defined by Merriam-webster as understanding and being aware of the

thoughts, feelings, and experiences of others. Without empathy, it’s likely that people
would often feel misunderstood and rejected

Dr. Brene Brown says that, “empathy is a choice, and it’s a vulnerable one” and this can
be deemed true. When you choose empathy, you allow yourself to feel what others are
feeling. In a number of Brown’s works, she reinforces the idea that empathy can help
you experience a more fulfilled life and richer relationships. So, you may be asking
yourself, why is empathy so important?

Why Is Empathy Needed?

Empathy and compassion are needed in everyday life, especially when interacting with
others. Without these two things, it can be difficult to maintain healthy relationships. This
is because they help you exhibit kind and loving behavior to your loved ones, which
helps reinforce the relationship.

For instance, doing something that offends your friend can cause them to feel hurt or
angry. When you have empathy, you’re more likely to understand what they’re upset
about, see things from their point of view, and apologize. This demonstration of empathy
and compassion can make your friend feel respected, understood, and loved. Empathy
reaffirms relationships and keeps the love alive.

If more parents incorporated empathy into their parenting, we may find that more kids
grow up to value it. One of the best ways to teach them empathy is by addressing and
acknowledging their emotional distress. Showing them how to be compassionate and
empathetic is a way to prepare them for showing it to others in the real world.

In the business world, empathy and compassion are also needed. When empathy is
undervalued in the workplace, it could lead to staff feeling unappreciated or as though
they don’t matter. For example, being agreeable is a character trait that’s valued in the
workplace. However, to be agreeable you need to have compassion and understand
where others are coming from. Not only do employees need empathy and compassion,
but employers also need it, too. A 2018 State of Workplace Empathy Study by
BusinessSolver found 96% of employees believed their employers should demonstrate
empathy.
Careers That Thrive From Empathy

A number of careers thrive from empathy, especially ones that are people-centered. If
you’re full of empathy and compassion, consider any of the careers below.

Nurse

A nurse’s primary role is to care for patients, so this requires the ability to understand
patient’s emotional wellbeing. Nurses are also learning to be more empathetic by
shifting to trauma-informed care. This means asking questions like “What happened to
you?” as opposed to focusing on what’s wrong with them. This approach helps nurses
better understand the traumatic experiences patients have had to endure that brought
them to the point of needing professional help in the first place.

A disadvantage of having empathy as a nurse is that it can make you more susceptible
to burnout. This can be classified as compassion fatigue and it’s commonly experienced
by nurses. Worrying about how people are and having to empathize with their struggles
can be emotionally draining after a while. With that being said, always stop and
recharge to avoid this.

Therapist

If you’ve ever been to see a therapist before, you know their work consists of sitting
down and listening to people talk. Without compassion, it would be hard to listen to the
anxieties, fears, and heartbreaks of other people. To be a therapist, you need a lot of
room in your heart as well as empathy to connect with your clients.
Compassion-focused therapy especially has been proven to effectively treat long-term
emotional problems. This is because compassion is used to address feelings of shame
and self-criticism which often trigger mental health.

Social Worker

Another career path that would require both empathy and compassion is social work.
This job focuses on improving the wellbeing of individuals and society at large. Empathy
is needed to understand other people’s needs and comfort those going through tough
times. Although listening to people’s problems on an ongoing basis can be
overwhelming, it can also be rewarding.

The thought of living in a utopian world where everyone considers the feelings of their
neighbor can evoke positive feelings. You can make such a world a reality by starting
with yourself. By showing compassion and empathy to those around you, you’re
creating the kind of world you want to live in.
Top 10 Benefits of Exercise & Healthy Eating by Your Marque Team
We all hear we’re supposed to work out and eat healthy, but why? You might be surprised how
much these two healthy habits actually do for you.

We hear it all the time- eat a healthy diet and exercise three to five times a week; but only 1 in
3 children are physically active every day. Urgent care doctors recommend this advice
frequently, but many people don’t appreciate just how crucial it is. So what do diet and exercise
do for you? A lot more than you’d think. Here are the top ten positive effects:

1. Weight loss. Let’s just get this one out of the way from the start. Yes, it’s true. The very best
way to reliably and safely lose weight is to exercise regularly and eat a healthy, balanced diet.
In fact, burning off more carbs each day than you take in from food is the only proven way to
lose weight.

2. A healthier heart. Lots of factors affect your risk for heart disease, but exercise and diet are
among the biggest. Even individuals who already suffer from heart disease can reduce their
risk through good diet and exercise.

3. Better cholesterol. There are two main kinds of cholesterol in the body, one that’s actually
good for you and one that can cause dangerous buildup in your blood veins. Two things help
bring both of these cholesterols to the right levels: a vegetable-heavy diet and regular
exercise.

4. Resist the effects of aging. Diet and exercise can help keep you looking and feeling youthful,
both directly and indirectly. A healthy diet will include lots of natural antioxidants which fight
the aging process, whole gentle exercise can help your body resist the soreness and stiffness
of aging.

5. A stronger immune system. Your body is better able to handle germs and stay healthy when
you eat well and exercise often.

6. Better mood. Did you know that exercise directly affects your mood? Exercise releases
endorphins, which give a sense of happiness.

7. Better sexual function. Exercise plays an important role in releasing hormones that increase
the sex drive. Both men and women tend to have a higher libido and better sexual function
when they work out regularly.

8. Less stress. We could all use less stress in our lives. A bad diet can have all sorts of effects
on your anxiety levels, while exercise is one of the single most effective ways to beat stress.

9. Improved sleep. Nutrition and exercise are very helpful to provide quality sleep. Those who
are physically active sleep longer and deeper than sedentary individuals. In addition, a poor
diet such as one loaded with sugar or alcohol can disrupt sleep and compromise the quality.

10. Bragging points. This one may not exactly be a health benefit, but doesn’t it feel good to
know that you’re taking care of your body?
How Artificial Intelligence Has Made Man Lazy

With technological advancement, Man has created machines that assist him in
doing tasks better and faster than him.
Thanks to AI, we now have self-driving cars(Tesla), AI assistants(Siri, Alexa,
Cortana), and also strategic game systems such as Chess and Go.
Studies have shown that the increase in the use of self-driving cars is likely to
reduce the rate of accidents and traffic on roads.
Intelligent assistants such as Siri and Alexa, help increase our productivity by
automating tasks such as note-taking and transcription. Thanks to their touchless
accessibility, visually impaired individuals can now navigate the internet easily.
Chess players can now analyze their games and find the best moves to play thanks
to AI such as Alpha Zero, Deep Blue, and Komodo.
However, this increased reliance on technology has also made man lazy and
everything in life comes at a cost, and so is the use of AI, but at what expense?

How It Started

In 1950, Alan Turing published a paper in which he conducted an experiment called

the Turing test where a human interacts with another human and a machine via
messages. If the human can’t recognize whether he is communicating with a
machine or a human, then the machine is said to have passed the Turing test.
This experiment made it plausible that machines can think and act like humans,
hence opening the door to serious research in the field of artificial intelligence.

How has AI made us Lazy?

Automation
Automating everyday work is one of the ways AI has made people lazy. Machines
that can carry out the same duties more rapidly and correctly have taken the place
of many jobs, especially in the industrial and service sectors.
As a result, there is no longer a need for human labor, giving people more free time.
Although this could appear to be a positive development, it has also resulted in less
physical exercise and a greater reliance on technology to do our tasks.

Decline In Research
The ability of AI to provide fast access to knowledge and answers to queries has
also contributed to the laziness of man.
People may now quickly and readily obtain solutions to practically any topic without
putting any effort forth because of the growth of the internet and search engines.
People no longer have to rely on their own knowledge and skills to get answers,
which has resulted in a reduction in problem-solving ability and critical thinking.

Instant Gratification and Convenience

In addition, because AI offers quick satisfaction and convenience, it has made

people sluggish.
People may easily buy practically anything they desire without leaving the comfort
of their own houses thanks to the growth of e-commerce and internet shopping.
Because people no longer need to go out and shop for basics, this convenience has
resulted in a decline in physical activity.
Similar to this, the ease with which activities may now be completed without much
effort is made possible by virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, which has reduced
personal accountability and self-motivation.

Social Media

AI has also made people lazy by facilitating instant social interaction and
entertainment.
As social media and streaming services have grown in popularity, people can now
easily access a wide range of entertainment options without ever leaving their
homes.
This has led to a decrease in social interaction and face-to-face communication, as
people no longer have to go out and interact with others to be entertained.
Similarly, AI-powered chat-bots and virtual assistants have made it easy to
communicate with others without having to put in much effort, leading to a
decrease in interpersonal skills and empathy.

Conclusion
Even though we have AI that can autocomplete writing and coding tasks, I believe
they should be of assistance and not as a replacement.
Writers now use AI to write complete articles and e-books and we now have
developers who over-rely on GitHub copilot.
I can’t recall the last time I saw a dictionary not to talk of even reading one. In the
process of looking for words in a dictionary, we get exposed to other new words
which we never knew.
 There is a lot of content both on YouTube and the web automatically generated by
AI but what differentiates humans and AI is the emotions. The emotions we humans
put when creating content whether it is written or a video, AI has failed to produce
such emotions and it’s one of the reasons why no computer yet has passed the
Turing Test.
We humans improve the more we practice; writing, reading, coding, and so on. But
handing over these activities completely to machines, in the long run, is detrimental
to us.
Chess players like Bobby Fischer and Casablanca don’t have the opportunity to use
the chess engines current Grand Masters have access to for their analysis and this
is not an indication that they will lose against current Grand Masters if they were to
play. Over-reliance on these chess engines just made some Grand Masters,
memorizers of moves instead of strategic or tactical thinkers.
As humans, we possess the zeal to improve, and this led to the birth of technology,
through technology we were able to achieve a lot of things to make life easier for us.
In the process of trying to make life easy, we are making future generations lazy by
placing so much trust in these algorithms.
I will like to conclude by saying, AI has made people lazy by automating repetitive
tasks, enabling instant access to knowledge and solutions, delivering convenience
and gratification at the touch of a button, and facilitating instant social interaction
and entertainment.
While many aspects of daily life have become simpler and more effective as a result
of these innovations, they have also resulted in a decline in physical activity,
problem-solving abilities, critical thinking, personal responsibility, self-motivation,
interpersonal abilities, and empathy.
As AI continues to advance, it will be important to consider the potential negative
effects on human behavior and ensure that individuals are not becoming overly
reliant on technology.
I will like to end this article with this popular quote.

Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak
men, and weak men create hard times. — Michael Hopf
The Power of Music
We’ve all probably experienced the euphoria of singing along to a power ballad in the car. Or maybe
we’ve spent a quiet moment with a beautiful piece of classical music on the radio?

Either way, many people in our community find that music is a powerful tool that can help us to make
friends with our feelings.

Music can help us to navigate the tricky emotional ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ of caring. Songs can also
soundtrack the good times too. Some of us might find listening to music with the person we care for can
evoke fond memories and take us back to good moments in the past.

And let’s not forget that dancing to our favourite songs in the kitchen can keep us active and moving.
Or, it might even be worth popping the kettle on, and enjoying a cuppa to the world's most relaxing
song!

In this blog, we’ve taken an in-depth look into the science-backed benefits of listening to music. We
hope this blog will inspire you to bring more music into your day and perhaps take a moment to revisit
some of your favourite songs and artists.

Music’s effect on the mind

Listening to music can bring up a lot of emotions for us. Over the years, scientists have studied the
effect that it has on the human brain:

1. It can help us to retain information more efficiently and improve memory

Music can help with memory and learning. MRI scans show that music engages the hippocampus. This is
the area of the brain responsible for processing and retrieving memories. In one study, people were
better at recalling information while listening to classical music.

This may be beneficial if we’re caring for people with memory conditions like Alzheimers. While music
can’t reverse the disease, some studies suggest that regular listening may slow down the process.

Music can motivate us to learn too. People in one study were more likely to complete a task if they had
music as a reward. So next time there’s carer admin to wade through? Have a playlist ready to keep you
focussed.

2. It can improve our mood

Listening to music triggers the release of three powerful chemicals: dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin.
These hormones give us a rush of pleasure, support reward and motivation and help us to feel
connected to others.

Some people find music therapy beneficial. It’s a type of NHS-approved therapy that uses music to
improve mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Music therapy isn’t available for free on the
NHS, but you can look for a therapist in your area by going to the website of the British Association for
Music Therapy (BAMT).
3. It can lower anxiety
Ever felt less anxious after listening to a calming piece of music? Studies have found that music can calm
us in anxiety-inducing situations. This could be listening empowering music in our car before going into
a tribunal or playing some relaxing acoustic songs when we’ve been on-the-go all day.

Marconi Union’s ‘Weightless’ is a piece of music that was engineered to be the world’s most relaxing
song. A fascinating study found that it was just as efficient at calming patients before a major surgery
as medication.

It could be a good tool to try if the person we are caring for is agitated or stressed. It could also help us
to calm down after dealing with a carer crisis. Next time you have a time-consuming DLA, PIP or Carer’s
Allowance form to fill out, why not give listening to this calming track a try.

4. It can improve focus

Got a boring task to do like organising finances or ordering prescriptions? Music can help you focus and
get the task done more quickly.

Specifically, studies have found that listening to nature sounds like birdsong or ocean waves can boost
our cognitive function and stop us from getting distracted by our phone notifications, Netflix or other
pesky distractions.

We could try downloading a nature sound app and listening to it through headphones next time we need
to knuckle down. White noise can also our help our brains to relax. The term is used to describe a type
of sound that contains every frequencies across the audible sound spectrum.

Listening to the gentle hum (which sounds a bit like rainfall) gives our brains something to focus on
instead of the stressful thoughts in our head.

5. It can connect us
Music is a great way to build and strengthen friendships. In an evolutionary sense, scientists believe we
may have developed music as a communication tool to bring humans together and encourage tribal
bonds.

There are lots of ways we could use music to find connection through carer loneliness. Some of us might
like to go to gigs and concerts with friends. Others might sing with a congregation at a place of worship.
We may simply like chatting to our friends about new album releases.

Music can also connect us to the person we care for. We may have favourite songs or artists we like to
listen to with the person we care for. Perhaps there’s calming music we play on the way to a hospital
appointment? Or maybe we start the day with our favourite radio station.

"We have a kitchen disco with our 13 year old daughter. She has complex needs, but when Taylor Swift or
Nirvana go on, she stops in her tracks, smiles and gives us great eye contact. It's a real boost for all of
us."
6. It can help us to process our emotions
Music can bring back powerful memories - a first date, a first dance at a wedding, or a friend we’ll never
forget. Listening to a piece of music from our past can take us back in time. This could be a positive
thing. We might remember good times of the past. This can give us a little boost when we’re flagging.

Music may remind us of hard times though. Listening to music that reminds us of someone who has
passed away can bring back painful or "happy/sad"memories. It can also trigger flashbacks to traumatic
experiences that we may have been through.

In its own special way, music can help us to ‘feel’ and process the emotions we haven’t got the words to
say ourselves. When we hear lyrics we can relate to, we allow our emotions to surface so we can
understand them.

Listening to sad music can be an intense experience, but psychologists believe it’s an important part of
the healing process. Toxic positivity is a type of dysfunctional emotion management where we bury our
‘negative’ feelings and put a happy spin on everything. It can be really common when we’re looking after
someone else and feel we need to ‘put on a happy face’ for their sake. In doing this though, we suppress
our emotions and may bypass working through them in a healthy way. It's important to feel our feelings.

Journaling alongside music brings up powerful memories. It can be a useful way to vent everything
we’re bottling up and move past the pain.

We could try downloading the Reflectly guided journal app if we want to start a daily practice. It's
£47.99 per year for a premium account, but the free version of the app is all we need to start a
journaling habit. Reflectly lets us attach a 'mood' to each of our journal entries so we can track our
wellbeing throughout the moth. If we're short on time, we can record and store the entries as voice
notes.

There are also lovely inspirational quotes and affirmations, that we can set the app to send as phone
notifications, to keep us feeling inspired and positive throughout the day.

If we're able to, we could set some time aside each day to pop on this reflective Spotify playlist and type
our thoughts and feelings onto the app.

We may need support as we revisit painful memories. So, it’s vital we reach out for professional support
if there’s past experiences that are affecting our day-to-day life.

The key benefits of listening to music as a carer

Some of our favourite reasons for listening music are:

● It can provide a distraction from everything else that’s going on

● It’s a hobby that we can indulge hands-free
● We can ‘escape’ into our own world when things aren’t great
● It can boost our confidence (listening to uplifting tracks etc.)
● We can discover and learn at the same time as caring
 ● It can have benefits for the person we care for
● It can bring some ‘fun’ into our day
● We can feel seen and understood

How music can benefit specific health conditions

How music helps dementia

Music can be a powerful connector for people with dementia. There are lots of individual stories in our
community about how effective music can be at bringing people together and stimulating memories.

Studies have found that music can stimulate parts of the damaged brain in ways that talking cannot. It
can also help to reduce feelings of anxiety and agitation which can be common during moments of
confusion or forgetfulness.

Plus, music can be a way to entertain and connect with someone with dementia when our words are not
understood. This can be a source of joy when we may feel forgotten or lost to the person we love.

How music helps stroke survivors

Studies have found that listening to music for just a couple of hours per day could help stroke survivors
improve their memory. It’s thought that listening to songs can encourage neuro-plasticity, where the
brain ‘rewires’ broken neural pathways.

It may help to improve hemiparesis, or broken walking patterns, caused by loss of mobility in one side of
the body. Music therapy can also alleviate post-stroke depression, which is a common experience for
stroke survivors and is often caused by biochemical changes in the brain.

Schizophrenia and music

Schizophrenia is a long-term mental condition that affects thought, emotion, and behaviour. Studies
have found that music therapy, involving both listening to and composing songs, can help regulate
emotional response, increase verbalisation and decrease anxiety.

How music helps depression and anxiety symptoms

A study found that music therapy plus traditional treatments like antidepressants could have a more
beneficial effect on anxiety and depression than pharmaceutical treatment alone.

Classical and other relaxing music may be particularly useful to listen to as it can lower the heart rate,
blood pressure and levels of the cortisol stress hormone.

Getting started with music

So now we know why music is important, let’s start prioritising listening to it. Whether it’s putting a
song on in the shower, listening to music in the car or investing in a pair of good headphones, there are
lots of ways we can fit music into our busy lives.

Listen to our Mobilise playlist

Not sure where to start? Carers in the Mobilise Community have created a playlist ‘Songs that make me
smile’. Hopefully, it will put a smile on your face too!
We can easily create our own playlists, whether that’s on YouTube, Spotify or Apple music. Different
songs for different moments.

“I have a playlist for cleaning - lots of fun, upbeat songs from my youth - really gives me energy”

How to listen to music on any budget

Music streaming services have made it easier than ever to access the music we love. We can download
these players to our laptops or smartphones to listen in the house or on-the-go. Some of our favourite
digital services are:

● Spotify - anyone can access a free version with ads. A premium subscription costs £9.99 but
we can also opt for a family package (£16.99) that covers up to 6 people.
● Apple Music - paid subscription only, £10.99 per month, with a one month free trial.
● Tidal - paid subscription only, £9.99 per month
● YouTube - is a great place to listen to music for free, although there are adverts if you have a
free account. We like the playlist feature, which allows you to line-up videos and listen to
them one after the other.

With the rising cost of living making money more of an issue, we may not have the budget for a
smartphone and monthly streaming subscription (and that’s OK!). There are so many brilliant radio
stations to discover. We could treat ourselves to a new radio or even pick up a second-hand CD or
record player and hunt through charity shops for CDs and vinyls.

Different stations can work for our different moods. We like listening to Magic FM when we’re looking
for upbeat songs while Smooth Radio is great for relaxing after a busy day. Plus, there are lots of music
channels too that our TV package might include.

How to make a playlist for dementia

Playlists can be really helpful for those with degenerative brain conditions. To help us get started, BBC
Music Memories has a free tool where we can discover popular tracks from specific decades to help us
build a playlist.

Playlist For Life is another really good resource for building our own personal dementia playlist that
evokes memories and emotion. They take us through the process step-by-step, so we can select popular
songs that will likely be recognisable to the person we care for. They also have lots of pre-built Spotify
playlists specifically for dementia patients that are categorised by genres, decades and identities.
Some of our favourite playlists for carers

If busy and don’t have lots of time to organise our own music, try these Spotify playlists for an easy
pick-me-up:
● Singing in the shower playlist
● Spring cleaning playlist
 ● Calming playlist
● Feel-good power ballad playlist
● Concentration playlist

A final word
Like walking, stretching, meditating and being in nature, music is a free tool that we can all use to
improve our wellbeing. As this blog post proves, it can be a great way to influence our mood, provide
sensory feedback, evoke memories and create connections with the people we love.
Have you got a favourite music memory? Make sure to share it in the Mobilise Community as we’d love
to hear from you.