Audio players project helps stimulate people with dementia

People with dementia are using simple music players to access audiobooks and radio/TV programmes

A project at Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust provides the opportunity for people with dementia to borrow audio players during their stays.

Preloaded with audiobooks and/or radio and television programmes, the audio players can stimulate and engage, provide something for people with dementia to focus on, and relieve some of the boredom of being in hospital.

All of this is possible with minimal staff input. Dementia coordinators and ward staff identify people for whom audiobooks could be helpful, then dementia volunteers assist them in using the audio players.

In March 2018, the trust’s academy library applied to its innovation panel for £1,600 funding to purchase ten dementia-friendly simple music players and several pairs of earphones.

The library also took out a subscription to