Music helps support dementia patients at Princess of Wales Hospital

This Dementia Action Week, we’re shining a light on a music project helping to bring meaningful moments to patients at Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend.

Live music sessions are taking place on the hospital’s Care of the Elderly and Dementia wards, supporting patients who may be living with dementia, frailty or long-term health conditions, as well as their families, carers and the staff caring for them.

The sessions are delivered through Spaces to Sing, a programme run by the charity Daring to Dream, which supports the emotional health and wellbeing of people living with long-term physical illness.

At Princess of Wales Hospital, the sessions are being delivered locally by Bridgend College music students like Lylia Young and Ffion Parry. Together, they use familiar songs and live music to create a calm, uplifting space where patients can listen, remember, and sing along.

For patients in hospital, especially those living with dementia, music can offer an important way to connect when words may be difficult. It can support memories, prompt conversation and create moments of recognition and joy.

The sessions support CTM UHB’s wider focus on patient experience, recognising that music, familiarity and human connection can make a meaningful difference to how people feel during their time in hospital.

Lylia has also written and released Daring to Dream’s first official charity single, Here Together, inspired by the often-hidden emotional impact of living with illness and by the power of music to help people feel seen, heard and connected.

At Princess of Wales Hospital, that message is being brought to life in a very personal way, through music shared with patients, families, carers and staff on the ward.

Speaking about her song, Here Together, Lylia said:

“Writing and releasing my first track has been a deeply personal and emotional journey, filled with hard work and moments of real self-doubt. However, it was vital for me to push through those challenges to help others understand the ‘hidden’ experiences of their friends and families.

By sharing these feelings through music, we can shed a much-needed light on the emotional impact of illness. I am incredibly grateful to Daring to Dream for the opportunity to write ‘Here Together’, it has been a truly transformative experience.”

Barbara Chidgey, Founder and Chair of Daring to Dream, said:

“While physical care is often visible and measurable, the emotional impact of illness can go unseen. Our Spaces to Sing at Princess of Wales Hospital is about creating moments where patients, families, carers and staff can connect through music. Sometimes words are difficult, but music can help people feel heard, remembered and less alone.

“It has been wonderful to see young musicians like Lylia and Ffion bring such warmth and care to this work at Princess of Wales Hospital. Their music is helping to create a space where people are not only seen as patients, but as people with memories, emotions, hopes and stories.”

Julie Dickenson, Head of Nursing at CTM UHB said:

“The Spaces to Sing sessions have brought something really special to Princess of Wales Hospital. For some patients, particularly those living with dementia, music can prompt memories, smiles, conversation or a sense of calm. It can help people connect in a way that feels familiar and meaningful, even when words may be difficult.

“It also means a great deal to families and staff to see those moments of recognition and connection. It is a powerful reminder of the difference charity-funded projects can make in our hospitals, supporting the kind of personal, thoughtful touches that can really enhance the experience of patients, families and staff.”

To learn more about how charity funded projects are supporting patients, families and staff across Cwm Taf Morgannwg, contact our CTM NHS Charity team: ctm.charity@wales.nhs.uk