Music reaches people with dementia when almost nothing else can. Here’s how to build the playlist.

August 2, 2026

By Kim Komando

This one starts with a note from my inbox:

“Kim, my mom has dementia, and I remember you saying that certain playlists can bring people back, if even for just a few minutes. Can you tell me more about this and tell me how to make a playlist just for her?” — Julie in Phoenix

Julie, I’ve got you. My grandmother had dementia, too. There were hard visits. But boy, she loved her Elvis Presley, and Elvis could find her when we couldn’t.

🎺 Three minutes that convinced the doctors

In the documentary Alive Inside, a man named Henry, in his 90s and barely responsive after a decade in a nursing home, gets headphones playing his favorite, Cab Calloway. His eyes fly open. He hums, sings, then TALKS, in full sentences, about music and love. 

The late neurologist Oliver Sacks said Henry had been “quickened.” Watch Henry’s story here. Have tissues ready. That’s not a miracle. It’s repeatable.

🧠 Why music sneaks past dementia

University of Utah researchers scanned the brains of Alzheimer’s patients while they heard songs that mattered to them. Personal music lit up regions the disease touches last. One researcher: “Music is like an anchor, grounding the patient back in reality.” 

And a Brown University study found nursing home residents with personalized playlists were more likely to come off antipsychotic meds. Music, doing a pill’s job.

The catch: The songs must be theirs. The music we hear from ages 10 to 25 is welded in deepest.

📝 Build a playlist this weekend

1. Do the math. Birth year plus 10 through 25. Born in 1948? Shop 1958 to 1973.
2. Gather clues. Ask siblings for the wedding song, the church hymns, what played in her kitchen. Ask her: “Elvis or Sinatra?” You might be surprised who answers.
3. Build it free. Any streaming app, 20 to 30 songs. Or try m4dradio.com, free 24/7 stations sorted by birth decade. Incredible resource right there.
4. Play it right. Comfortable over-the-ear headphones, a calm moment, 20 minutes. Tapping feet mean yes. Skip songs that upset her. And stay. Sing along. Ask, “Do you love this one?” instead of “Do you remember?” No test to fail here.

Straight talk: This isn’t a cure, and the door doesn’t stay open. But it costs little to nothing, has zero side effects and can hand you a real visit with your mom. Take the minutes, Julie.

My grandmother’s song was Elvis. They say Elvis has left the building, friend. For three minutes at a time, my grandmother didn’t.

🎯 Send this to someone who says, “Mom doesn’t really talk anymore.” Give them a different kind of visit.

📱 Text-worthy: For anyone with a parent who has dementia, the brain’s music regions are among the last the disease touches. A playlist of songs from when they were ages 10-25 can bring them back for a few minutes. Free stations by decade: m4dradio.com.