OUR JOURNEY
Dementia is a real ‘buzz word’. Hopefully because of this increased awareness, we can all look forward to an improved standard of care and a brighter future for all those living with the disease.
Our Journey
In I999 when Lost Chord was first established dementia was a ‘dirty‘ word with no one prepared to even talk about it. Trying to get support for people living with dementia was virtually impossible.
However since the pandemic and tv shows like “The Dementia Choir”, things are changing and more people are prepared to come forward and to help champion the cause. There has been a move towards the establishment of Dementia Friendly Communities and more and more people are signing up to become dementia friends! In fact we have many amongst our volunteers, musicians and trustees.
Goal for 2023
We hope that by the end of 2023 we will exceed the 1300 sessions a year we were providing pre pandemic. We regularly receive requests for our interactive music sessions from all over the country. This means that we are always looking for more income generating opportunities, because we know that with extra funding, we could do so much more in fact we could get music sessions into every county in the UK!
In 2024 we will celebrate our Silver Jubilee!
It is with great pride and admiration for all who volunteer and work for Lost Chord UK that we are now celebrating twenty four years of operation. These last couple of decades have been an exciting journey of discovery into the field of dementia – a huge learning curve for us all.
Getting support to help improve the lives of people with dementia has never been easy. However in the present financial climate, when every deserving charity out there is fighting for survival, it is becoming more difficult on a daily basis. Therefore we are enormously grateful for all your support.
Founder, Helena Muller
Helena Muller set up Lost Chord in 1999. Helena initially spent time working for ‘Live Music Now’ to give musicians straight out of their schools of music the opportunity to perform to a live audience. While working in care homes with ‘Live Music Now’ she was absolutely bowled over by witnessing people slumped in chairs, showing no sign of life who would quite literally come to life with the music. Having worked for the Alzheimer’s Society she realised that music could have a real impact on the lives of people with dementia.
Helena spent over two decades inspiring musicians and volunteers, through her commitment to the cause and her overwhelming belief that music can reach parts of the mind very little else can. In 2009/10 Helena was nominated as the ‘High Sheriff for South Yorkshire’ which gave her the opportunity to showcase Lost Chord and a platform on which to demonstrate what music can achieve. She was also awarded an ‘Honorary Doctorate from Sheffield University’ for her work with dementia. In her twenty two years of service as CEO to the charity she founded, Helena never lost sight of the essence of Lost Chord. Her natural, warm manner with residents with whom she always struck up a great rapport and utilising her down to earth approach and sense of humour never failed to elicit great responses.
Helena stepped down as CEO in October 2021 having asked Lost Chord flautist Clare Langan, who has performed for the charity for over twenty years, to take her place.
