About Music & Memory
MUSIC & MEMORY® is a service of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function (IMNF), a leader in advancing the therapeutic power of music to awaken, stimulate, and heal. Through the use of personalized music playlists, we help individuals with a wide range of cognitive and physical conditions engage with the world, ease pain, and reclaim their humanity.
By providing access and education, and by creating a network of Music & Memory certified organizations, our goal is to make the therapeutic use of personalized music a standard of care throughout the health care industry.
The Power of Personalized Music
If there was a new drug that alleviated symptoms for people living with dementia, a pill that helped them to feel joyful and able to communicate again, we’d rush to make it available to every person in our care. All the more so if that same drug reduced falls, delirium, and pain; if it improved post-surgical and rehab outcomes; and if it reduced reliance on mood-altering medications.
Those positive outcomes happen daily at Music & Memory certified organizations in the U.S. and worldwide. But no miracle pill is involved. Rather, the effective intervention of favorite music, used according to evidence-based best practices, is proving how personalized playlists offer an effective, side-effect-free, non-pharmacological approach to improving quality of life and care.
In assisted living communities, personalized music helps residents stay engaged and improves communication with loved ones. In hospitals, it eases pain and anxiety, contributing to better recovery outcomes. In hospice, favorite songs provide comfort and connection during life’s final moments, offering solace to both patients and their families. And for caregivers at home, personalized playlists offer a simple yet effective way to reduce stress, ease transitions, and create moments of joy.
The impact is clear, and the need is greater than ever. As Music & Memory marks its fifteenth year, we remain committed to expanding access to this evidence-based approach. Our training ensures that staff and caregivers have the knowledge and tools to integrate music into care, improving quality of life for those who need it most.
Scientific and Medical Advisory Council
G. ALLEN POWER, MD
JULES ROSEN, MD
SUSAN WEHRY, MD
Partnerships
A steady stream of anecdotal success stories and smaller research studies have prompted leading researchers to embark on large, multi-year investigations of Music & Memory’s personalized music program. The largest is a $3.7 million, five-year National Institute of Aging grant to Brown University’s Center for Long-Term Care Quality & Innovation to test Music & Memory’s efficacy and effectiveness. This follows a retrospective evaluation that found reduced use of antipsychotic medications and improved behaviors among nursing homes certified in the program compared to control facilities, suggesting that there might be an effect when researchers capture detailed data on implementation and outcomes. The ongoing study involves capturing such data, in order to more definitively examine the program’s effect and to characterize implementation strategies leading to successful Music & Memory programs and outcomes.