21/08/2026
When I first started Drums4Health, I knew there was something really interesting about bringing drumming and movement together. What I probably didnāt appreciate at the beginning was just how many different people it would reach.
I now have people taking part across different generations and abilities. Some stand, some sit, some move a lot and some do what they can on that particular day. It really doesnāt matter. Everyone is part of the same session.
And I think thatās one of the things that makes it work.
It doesnāt really feel like exercise
Drums4Health combines physical movement with learning rhythmic patterns. Youāre holding the sticks, using your hands, wrists, arms and shoulders, moving your body, coordinating both sides and thinking about the rhythm at the same time.
There is a lot going on!
But because people are concentrating on the music and trying to get the rhythm, they often donāt realise quite how much they are moving.
Heather Manktelow is a retired occupational therapist with over 16 yearsā experience, much of it working with older adults and people living with dementia. She also runs a Memory CafĆ© and first came across Drums4Health when she joined one of my regular community classes.
Heather described how the sessions combine specific rhythms with movement and music and said:
āIt works not only the body, but the brain too.ā
She also made an observation that I hear so often from participants ā that you can have such a good time during the hour that you almost forget youāve been exercising.
For me, thatās really important, particularly when weāre talking about ageing well. We need to find ways of helping people move that they actually enjoy and want to come back to.
The hands are working too
Something Iām becoming increasingly interested in is hand and grip strength.
During a Drums4Health session, people are continually holding and controlling their drumsticks, changing direction, striking with different levels of force and repeating movements through the hands, wrists and forearms.
We know from wider research that grip strength is associated with healthy ageing and is used as a useful marker of overall physical capability.
Iām not claiming that Drums4Health improves longevity or grip strength ā we need to measure that properly.
But I do think itās a fascinating area for us to explore, particularly because hand strength matters so much in everyday life. Opening things, carrying shopping, cooking, gardening, getting dressed and simply maintaining independence all require our hands.
Itās one of the areas Iād now like to look at as part of our developing evidence base.
And then thereās the brain
The other thing people regularly tell me is, āMy brain has had a workout!ā
Theyāre right.
Following a rhythm, remembering what comes next, coordinating left and right, listening to music and moving at the same time gives the brain plenty to do.
This is why Iām so interested in the combination rather than looking at fitness, brain health and wellbeing as completely separate things.
If we can move the body, challenge the brain and connect people socially within the same activity, that feels really valuable.
What weāre seeing with people living with memory loss
After experiencing Drums4Health herself, Heather wondered whether the people living with memory loss and dementia at her Memory CafƩ might enjoy it too.
So we tried it.
Some people stood and others preferred to sit. We adjusted the drums to suit them and chose music that meant something to the group. Elvis, ABBA, Status Quo and Queen all made an appearance!
Heatherās description of what happened probably says it better than I can:
āThe smiles on peopleās faces, and seeing people move their bodies in addition to the drumming, was fantastic.ā
She also noted that the session could be graded to peopleās individual capabilities, with everyone encouraged to do as much or as little as they wanted.
The participants themselves were equally clear.
One told Heather:
āIt was an excellent drumming experience. It made me feel good.ā
Another described it as ābrilliantā, while one person said it was the best activity they had done at the Memory CafĆ©.
And I particularly love one comment from a carer:
āIt was a physical activity that everyone could manage.ā
That, for me, is exactly what Drums4Health should be.
But I want to go further than lovely feedback
I love hearing that people enjoyed a session, but I donāt want to build Drums4Health purely around people saying they liked it.
I want to know what difference it is actually making.
Heather felt the same and, when I returned to the Memory CafĆ©, she introduced a very simple 0ā10 self-rated mood scale before and after the session.
This wasnāt a clinical study and I wouldnāt present it as one. It was a small piece of real-world evaluation.
But the results were really interesting.
One gentleman living with memory loss had experienced a difficult morning before arriving. His wife told Heather that he hadnāt been in a good mood.
He rated his mood as 4 out of 10 before the session.
Afterwards, it was 10.
Heather described him during the drumming as visibly happy ā joking, smiling, dancing and clearly having fun. His wife moved from 7 out of 10 to 10 too and told Heather how much she loved seeing her husband enjoying himself.
Across Heatherās wider mood evaluation, participants whose scores werenāt already at the maximum generally reported improvements following the session.
Again, this isnāt research proving an outcome.
But itās exactly the sort of observation that makes me want to understand more.
We are now working with research partners as Drums4Health develops because itās really important to me that we build a proper evidence base around areas such as physical function, brain health, wellbeing and engagement.
Reaching people who donāt usually join in
There was another part of Heatherās feedback that really stayed with me.
Five residents came across from the care home next door specifically to try Drums4Health. Heather was told they had been selected because they rarely joined in with the activities normally provided.
Four of those five stayed engaged with the drumming for the whole session ā around 40 minutes ā and Heather described them as smiling and enthusiastic.
For anyone working in care or dementia support, I think thatās worth noticing.
Sometimes success isnāt about somebody performing a movement perfectly. Itās simply about finding the thing that makes someone want to participate.
Making it something organisations can actually use
Iām also very aware that a great activity isnāt much use if itās too expensive or complicated for organisations to deliver regularly.
Thatās why weāve developed our own Drums4Health equipment to be robust, portable, height-adjustable and suitable for seated or standing participation.
Iām now starting to train teams to deliver Drums4Health themselves.
For care settings, dementia organisations and community services, I think this is particularly important. The person delivering the activity can be somebody participants already know and trust. Rhythm and movement can become part of their regular wellbeing provision rather than relying on an external person visiting occasionally.
It also keeps ongoing delivery much more affordable.
Ageing well shouldnāt mean slowing everything down
I think sometimes we make assumptions about what older people want from activities.
They still want to laugh. They want great music. They want to learn something. They want to feel part of something and, where possible, they want to be challenged.
Iāve seen that again and again.
Heather finished her feedback by saying that she felt privileged to be able to witness such positive, happy activity sessions and see people leaving with smiles on their faces.
I feel exactly the same.
For me, healthy ageing isnāt simply about adding more years.
Itās about helping people remain physically able, mentally engaged and socially connected throughout those years.
If we can create something where people are moving their bodies, using their hands, challenging their brains, listening to music and connecting with the person next to them ā and they leave smiling ā I think thatās something worth exploring much further.
Thatās what Drums4Health is trying to do.
Move. Drum. Connect.
Tamsin Ward is the founder of Drums4Health, an inclusive rhythm and movement wellbeing programme delivered across community, care, dementia and other wellbeing settings. Drums4Health is a NAPA Registered Activity Provider.
