Music for the end: Marie Curie releases first ever playlist designed for the last moments of life

– Each track has been chosen by terminally ill people to listen to at the end of life, in new campaign championing the power of music in the final stages 

– New report spotlights how dying people prioritise quality of life, but one in four are still getting inadequate care –

– Marie Curie Nurses will appear on new podcast with Edith Bowman next month, to discuss impact of music at end of life 

Marie Curie has today released the first ever playlist curated by terminally ill people for the end of life. Ranging from upbeat dance tracks to moving melodies, each track on the Spotify playlist was chosen to feature on someone's personal 'end of life playlist'.

The tracks were identified in new survey of recently bereaved people about their loved ones1, commissioned by end of life charity Marie Curie, and range from Frank Sinatra's My Way to ABBA's Dancing Queen. While delivering expert end of life care, Marie Curie's nurses often support their patients in creating similar playlists of songs that meant the most to them over their life, to listen to in their final months, weeks and days.

It comes after a new report titled Public attitudes to death, dying, & bereavement in the UK Revisited (PADDUK)2 was released today by the Marie Curie Research Centre at Cardiff University. It reveals people's priorities for how they would like to experience their final months, weeks and days – which differs from the stark reality for so many.

Marie Curie has released the new playlist to spotlight just one of the many ways its nurses and healthcare assistants get to know what matters most to people they care for and make sure they have the best quality of life until the end. The PADDUK study similarly found that for the vast majority of people quality of life remains more important than length of life when seriously ill.

Other key findings include how at the end of life, people wish to be free of pain and be surrounded by loved ones. Yet one in four still do not get the care that they need when they are nearing the end. This is demonstrated by the shocking fact that a third of dying people were severely or overwhelmingly affected by pain in the last week of life3, as revealed in the charity's recent Better End of Life report, Time to Care3.

The importance of making sure those at the end of life get all the care and support they need when they need it is highlighted many times in the PADDUK report. Quality of life is the cornerstone of good palliative care and for people this means ensuring their final years, months, and days include having their physical and mental wellbeing needs met, access to care at all times, and privacy – all of which can be lacking if not receiving timely and proper care.

Music plays a vital role in end of life care for many, with new polling revealing most people listened to music during their end of life care (82%). Of these, the vast majority (84%) agreed that music relaxed and calmed their loved ones, and nearly a third (61%) have seen it ease anxiety and emotional distress.

For those whose loved ones listened to music, other benefits include helping to create a shared experience that brought them closer (58 per cent), creating a sense of normalcy (53 per cent), distracting them from physical symptoms (29 per cent), and bringing them closer to loved ones (58 per cent). Two in three agree that music provided comfort (60 per cent) for their loved ones.

As the UK's leading end of life charity, Marie Curie cares when there is no cure, whatever the illness. Whether someone has dementia, heart disease, motor neurone disease, Parkinson's, advanced cancer, or any other illness they're likely to die from.

Jan Palmer has been a Marie Curie Nurse for more than twenty years. Based at the Marie Curie Hospice, Cardiff and the Vale, she works within the specialist palliative care team as well as on the Marie Curie Support Line, helping callers from across the UK. Jan said:

"The PADDUK report reveals what's most important to dying people, and it's certainly no surprise that quality of life is central – with being free of pain, being able to maintain dignity and self-respect, and being surrounded by loved ones topping the list. This rings true with what my colleagues and I hear every day from the people we support, whether that's in the hospice, in people's own homes or on the Support Line.

"What is deeply concerning is how often these basic needs aren't met. Everyone deserves the best possible palliative and end of life care, no matter who they are and where they live.

"As Marie Curie Nurses, we're passionate about helping people have the best possible end of life care. Day and night, our hospice and hospice at home teams provide a holistic range of practical and emotional care and support, from administering pain relieving medicine and supporting overwhelmed families to helping people choose what music they want to listen to at the end."

Music therapy expert, Lecturer, and Honorary Marie Curie Senior Research Fellow at Queen's University Belfast, Dr Tracey McConnell said: "Terminal illness, pain, and the fear of dying can result in feelings of powerlessness and isolation, even with close family and friends. Music therapy can help people express their feelings and make them feel better, whatever their health or emotional situation. The evidence for music therapy ties in with how people tend to feel about music in general. We all relate to music, because it connects us with what it means to be human. Our bodies work to rhythms – everything from our heartbeat to our sleep patterns. Songs can evoke powerful memories. Sometimes, when something is impossible to express in words, music helps people "talk" about how they're feeling."

The top 10 songs on the first ever playlist curated by people at the end of life:
1. I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
2. My Way – Frank Sinatra
3. The Best – Tina Turner
4. Over the Rainbow – Judy Garland
5. Girls Just Want to Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
6. Angels – Robbie Williams
7. Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
8. Beautiful – Christina Aguilera
9. Hey Jude – The Beatles
10. These are the Days of our Lives – Queen

The top bands and artists that people chose to listen to include Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Tina Turner, and Whitney Houston.

The songs that bring most joy during end of life include Tina Turner's The Best, Judy Garland's Over the Rainbow and Frank Sinatra's classic, My Way – which was also the top song to be played during loved ones' final moments.

The new playlist comes ahead of a special podcast episode being released next month, hosted by radio DJ and TV presenter Edith Bowman. In the recording Edith speaks with Marie Curie Nurses about their personal experience of how music has impacted their patients, and the hugely positive effect they have seen it can have.

Marie Curie's new playlist is available to stream and download on Spotify now: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3GcCsVnT7n26GBDpYtRHhV?si=F2Rc-m4oTe6ITvujxUcfGQ.

The Marie Curie Support Line on 0800 090 2309 is there to help anyone having problems accessing the proper care and support they need or facing emotional, practical, or financial difficulties.

The new Public attitudes to death, dying, and bereavement in the UK Revisited report can be found here.