A local care home has been selected to take part in a new pilot scheme which hopes to help old memories to be resurfaced for dementia patients.

St Matthews Care Home, in Chequer Lane, Redbourn, has teamed up with Music for my Mind, a charity that uses music to access memories for people living with dementia, to explore whether music can improve the lives of patients.

The charity was founded by Keith McAdam, of Redbourn, who hopes that the trial will provide evidence that will make the music-focused treatment widely available.

Patients taking part in the scheme will pick out music from their past with the help of friends and family, which will later be played to them while wearing a monitoring bracelet.

The bracelet will monitor their movement, heartbeat and moisture on their hands to determine how the music makes them feel. The playlist will be played to them on different occasions over the course of six weeks in order to provide more information as to whether music can affect the disease.

Janet Crawley, who works at the care home, said: “I think it’s quite exciting because I’ve worked with dementia patients for quite a while and music makes a huge difference to them.

“I have had people walk again because of music and people sit up in bed after being ill and unable to for five or six months.”

She continued: “He (Keith) is a genuine man and has his heart set on it; I feel quite privileged to even be working with him.

“It’s great and I hope it does come up with all the evidence.”

Janet added: “There is no cure for dementia so if this works, it could be a breakthrough.”