LifeTime Radio’s core purpose is to support and help patients in hospital who are living with dementia. We are a volunteer run and delivered service working in partnership with hard pressed care and support staff on the wards at the Manchester Royal Infirmary. Our trained volunteers offer bedside reassurance, support and activities as well as engagement and companionship. By using a radio station based within the hospital, Lifeime Radio volunteers can also broadcast and offer support through musical memories, soundscapes and audio experiences on the radio at the bedside for patients, or on personalised computer devices. Because these patients are away from their homes, in unfamiliar surroundings and often in a state of confusion and uncertainty, this can add to the impact of their dementia which is in addition to their other medical needs. A challenging scenario that takes a lot of time and focus to support. LifeTime Radio combines the radio/audio experience with activity and bedside visits to support the psychological and occupational needs of patients living with dementia and actively enhances the environment to create a more positive patient experience. LifeTime Radio has been created by experts from the fields of radio and dementia care who are passionate about bringing together their knowledge, skills and experience to improve the lives of people living with dementia in acute hospital settings. Their music, their voices, their stories - all connecting to an experience which distracts from hospital and illness. Using the radio and associated activities to connect patients to their memories, emotional past, the familiar, and the environment. We aim to alleviate distress, disorientation, and anxiety as well as providing meaningful activity with opportunities for communication, engagement, and social contact, to help them express their thoughts and needs and to support person centred care through the interaction with the volunteers, and the radio. As a result of the on-going impact of COVID 19 has, like so many other care based activities, caused huge restrictions in our ability to deliver the Lifetime Radio service. Ward visits, and the associated activities, continue to be non-existent. However working with the hospital staff and associated contractors, we continue to deliver a basic audio service of audio memories, both music and speech, which has been well received by the patients and the staff working with them.

The company’s stakeholders are people living with dementia and receiving care within an institutional setting. This could be within acute hospital; nursing or residential care settings; to family and friends providing care and support for people living with dementia in those settings; to organisations and staff working within those settings. Working with the staff remotely there continue to be opportunities to mention patients on Lifetime Radio, talk about some of their life experiences and play the music that has helped comfort and reassure them during their time at the hospital. Although we’re still unable to undertake our activities at ward level, because of on-going restrictions, we are liaising with the hospital, the ward staff and ultimately the patients, helping us improve the nature of our staff, albeit a service that still isn’t delivering its full potential as yet.

No remuneration was received

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration