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SHARE A SONG 2021:
Lifting people up,
through music

Supported by Universal Music Group, YouTube, Jaxsta, Amazon Music,
AIM, ARIA, Facebook and more.

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Which songs make up the soundtrack of your life? The teen memories at your high school dance. The song that was playing when you met your love. The tune you screamed with your best mates on that road trip. The whole crowd singing that anthem together at your favourite festival. The music is intrinsically linked to those memories.

This week, Vera is encouraging Australians to tap into these memories and #shareAsong in support of Dementia Action Week.

Supported by some of the music industry’s biggest players – Universal Music Group, YouTube, Jaxsta, Amazon Music, AIM, ARIA, Facebook, Aussie icon Jimmy Barnes and comedian/actor/author/radio presenter Matt Okine to name a few – #shareAsong aims to change the conversation around dementia and brain health.

It’s easy to get involved. Jump on your socials, share a song with a family member or friend and reminisce about the music that defined a shared moment.

Celebrate the memory together, use #shareAsong and pay the goodwill forward by donating to families impacted by dementia. Together we can lift people up through the power of music.

“On behalf of everyone at ARIA and PPCA, we’re asking the nation to please #shareAsong from this September 21, and support an incredible initiative raising awareness for those suffering from dementia. We all have one song that holds a special place – for me it’s Kylie Minogue’s ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’ – join us in highlighting the amazing role music plays in our lives and memories, and help champion an amazing cause,” said Annabelle Herd, Chief Executive Officer at (ARIA) Australian Recording Industry Association.

“I’m very pleased to add my voice to supporting #shareAsong.” says Australian icon Jimmy Barnes, who is supporting the campaign. “Like so many families, ours has had to deal with losing loved ones to dementia. Music seems to be one of the few ways of still reaching them as they slip away because we all make such deep connections with the songs that we love.  There’s nothing like music to lift our spirits so get behind #shareAsong and send some good feelings to the people you love.”

Dementia affects half a million Australians and 50 million people worldwide, with nearly 10 million new cases every year. In Australia alone there are 1.6 million caring for people living with dementia. The number of people with dementia is set to double in the next 25 years. Despite these numbers, there are still a lot of misconceptions about this condition and those living with it often face discrimination.

People who have dementia can live active, fulfilling lives many years after diagnosis and music is a powerful tool to maximise their wellbeing.

“There is no other stimulus on earth that simultaneously engages our brains as widely as music does” Brian Harris, Neurologic Music Therapist at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

Music can calm the mind, improve mood and trigger memories. It activates parts of the brain that are responsible for processing emotion, memory and language, providing a great mental workout for people who are experiencing a decline in brain function.

Low levels of dopamine are often linked to dementia, depression and mental health issues. Listening to the music you love increases the levels of dopamine and other neurotransmitters in your brain, which helps control both emotional and behavioural functions. The right music, at the right time, can help to keep our brain healthy and active.

Music connects and unites people like nothing else. #shareAsong from 21 September, celebrate the music and the memories and help lift people up, through music.

#shareAsong is proudly supported by Vera, Dementia Australia, Universal Music Group, YouTube, Jaxsta, Amazon Music, AIM, ARIA and Facebook.

#SHAREASONG
20 – 26 September, 2021
Fundraising for Dementia Action Week

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Follow #SHAREASONG
Website – Facebook – Instagram

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AMNPLIFY – JC