Nov 13 2020: Zoom keeps the music flowing for Lost Chord

THE show will go on as top South Yorkshire dementia charity takes its musical therapy online with a series of Zoom sessions.

Lost Chord is the charity that provides vital interactive musical sessions for people living with dementia in care homes and day centres across the region and nationally.

But with care homes not open to visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lost Chord has been determined that the music will go on.

And now it is embracing the latest Zoom technology to ensure that performances can continue.

Zoom is the cloud-based video conferencing service that has become an essential part of commercial and domestic life during almost a year of lockdowns and remote working.

And Lost Chord chief executive Helena Muller and her team quickly recognised that the online technology could also be used to connect care homes with the charity’s musicians.

“We are just starting to invited homes to take part in Zoom calls and feel certain that, for the time being at least, this will be a great way to keep the music alive.

“During lockdown Lost Chord has been able to continue to provide music to those with dementia in care homes with online music sessions via YouTube but we feel that Zoom adds yet another vital element to our work.

“We do sincerely hope that everyone who needs our interactive service can access them to raise the spirits in residential homes where we know our visits have been very much missed.

“By utilising Zoom, which has proved so popular and useful to people around the world during these difficult times, we are reaching out to all our old friends and hope to make some new ones too at a time when they desperately need our support the most.

“There is no cure for dementia and at the moment there is very little effective treatment.

“It is the biggest challenge of the 21st century and only a tenth of the money spent on cancer research is spent on dementia.

“It is vital to keep the brain stimulated for as long as possible and clinical evidence indicates that the power of live music has a significant impact on this.

“As our musical sessions consistently demonstrate, music is one of the very few things that can reach out and touch the lives of people living with dementia.”

To find out more about Lost Chord and its full range of services and events visit lost-Chord.co.uk