Partner content: My Life TV
If your parent has begun to struggle with mainstream television, there is a service built specifically for them. Here is what My Life TV is, what it may offer, and how to try it.
For many older people, television has been one of life's reliable companions for decades. The rhythm of familiar programmes, the voices of people they recognised, the comfort of an evening in front of the screen. And then, gradually or suddenly, dementia can begin to take that too.
Many carents notice this before they have words for it. A parent who switches off after a few minutes. Who gets distressed by a news programme. Who can no longer follow a storyline that would once have been easy. The remote control is still there on the arm of the chair but the enjoyment of using it has gone.
This happens because mainstream television was not designed for how a brain affected by dementia processes information. Fast editing, complex storylines, sudden loud music and intrusive advertising can all become overwhelming. What once provided genuine comfort can begin to cause confusion, frustration or disengagement.
My Life TV was created specifically because of this. It is a streaming service designed for people living with dementia, and it works in ways that standard television cannot.
What My Life TV is
My Life TV is an on-demand streaming platform with more than 200 hours of content developed with dementia-friendly principles at its core. Every programme has been chosen or produced to be gentler in pace, shorter in length, and free from anything likely to cause confusion or distress.
There are no advertisements. There is no sudden jarring noise. Visuals are clear, colour contrast is strong, and audio is aligned with what is on screen. The content follows criteria developed through research, clinical expertise and co-production with people living with dementia and the family members and professionals who support them.
The platform is primarily suited to people in the mid-to-late stages of dementia, though it is used by people at earlier stages too, as well as by family members and care professionals watching alongside them.
What is on it
The range of content is wider than many people expect.
Nature and wildlife programmes sit alongside slow TV experiences, reminiscence series, seated exercise sessions, singalongs, quizzes, draw-along art activities, and archive television favourites including The Generation Game, Come Dancing and One Man and His Dog. There are Kew Gardens tours, music programmes, dance and movement sessions, and travel content from familiar landmarks.
This is not simply old television collected in one place. Every programme on the platform is assessed against dementia-specific criteria: gentle pacing, short programme lengths, familiar and meaningful themes, minimal visual clutter, strong audio-visual alignment, and opportunities for participation rather than passive viewing.
Why it is different from YouTube or Netflix
The difference lies in the curation, and in the intention behind it. On YouTube or mainstream streaming services, a carent has to do the filtering themselves, and the results are unpredictable. A clip may contain jarring edits, intrusive advertising, or confusing content without warning. My Life TV does that filtering work systematically, applying dementia-specific principles across everything on the platform.
Dr Robert Lawrence, Consultant in Psychiatry of Old Age and Neuropsychiatry and Director of Research and Development at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, is leading a current impact study on the service. Early findings suggest My Life TV can improve quality of life for people living with dementia and support care staff in their work. Care homes taking part have reported positive changes in residents' concentration, agitation levels, daily activities and social interactions. One care home has incorporated My Life TV directly into a resident's care plan. Care staff have consistently said it helps them manage residents' moods and deliver meaningful activities.
What it may mean for your parent
Joyce lives with dementia. Her daughter Anne describes what she sees when Joyce watches My Life TV.
"She will just sit there and watch it and engage totally from beginning to end. She's not fidgeting, she's not looking around, she's totally engrossed. If she started off maybe a little bit anxious, or things weren't necessarily right that day, she then changes. She becomes herself again, and that brings great joy and relief to me, knowing she's in a much better place and we can start afresh from that point."
Joyce herself says: "It makes me feel good that I can pick something out that I like. It helps me that I can look back and remember. I always like having to answer questions in a quiz. That sort of thing makes me feel happy."
Reported benefits from users and care settings include improved mood, reduced anxiety, reduced agitation, greater engagement and genuine conversation prompts. For people with dementia, the reminiscence element can be particularly significant. Content rooted in the years that matter most emotionally to a person can open up memories that are otherwise harder to reach.
At the Kimbrose Club, a dementia day service in Gloucester, Day Services Manager Kerry-Ann Lees describes an afternoon watching a programme about England's 1966 World Cup victory: "A club member who has very little verbal communication became extremely animated telling us he was there. He was indeed at the game and had seen England lift the trophy. This wouldn't have happened without My Life TV inspiring this and the many other conversations that followed."
What it may offer you
Carents often describe the particular pressure of keeping a parent with dementia engaged. Finding activities that are appropriate, safe and genuinely enjoyable, without needing to be constantly present and facilitating, can become exhausting to sustain over months and years.
My Life TV offers something practical: a trusted, safe resource that can hold your parent's attention while you make a phone call, prepare a meal, or simply sit in the same room without needing to provide the entertainment yourself.
It can also become something to watch together. Shared viewing can prompt conversation in ways that direct questioning often cannot. A reminiscence programme, a familiar piece of music, or a sporting archive may open up things to talk about that the two of you might not otherwise have found a way into.
Gerri McHugh, Executive Director of My Life Films, says: "Carents don't need another thing on their to-do list. They need solutions that genuinely help. At My Life TV, we have seen how the right programme can transform a difficult afternoon, spark a conversation that hadn't happened for weeks, or simply help someone living with dementia feel calmer, happier and more connected. It is not about filling time. It is about creating moments of purpose, enjoyment and connection for both the person living with dementia and the family members who support them."
Choosing what to watch
A useful starting point is your parent's lifelong interests: a sport they followed, music from their earlier years, a job they were proud of, a place they loved, an animal they kept.
Psychologists refer to the "reminiscence bump": the tendency for older adults to have particularly strong emotional memory for experiences from roughly the ages of 10 to 30. Content that connects to that period, whether it is music, archive television, or familiar imagery, can have a noticeably stronger effect than more recent material.
What works may also shift from day to day, depending on your parent's mood and energy. On calmer days, a longer programme may sustain attention well. On more difficult days, a short singalong or a seated movement session may be a better fit. My Life TV adds new content every four to six weeks.
Getting started
My Life TV is available on smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, tablets, smartphones, laptops and computers.
Try it first. A seven-day free trial is available at tv.mylifefilms.org. You do not need to commit to anything before seeing whether it works for your parent.
Readers of this article can also use this link for a free two-week trial featuring over six hours of content with a mix of vintage tv, nature programmes, singalongs and quizzes.
Start with what you know. Begin with familiar topics: music they have always loved, nature, a sport or hobby from earlier life. Start there before exploring the wider library.
Watch together at first. Sit alongside your parent for the first few sessions rather than leaving them to it. You will quickly see which content generates the strongest response.
Return to what works. Build a short playlist of favourites and revisit them. For many people with dementia, repetition is not a problem. A programme that worked well last week may work just as well again.
Use it as a conversation starter. After a quiz or a singalong, there may be something to talk about that you would not otherwise have found a way into.
Adapt day to day. What is right on a calm afternoon may not suit a more difficult evening. Let your parent's mood guide the choices, rather than a fixed schedule.
If you are setting the service up for a parent who lives at a distance, you can manage the subscription remotely and help your parent log in by phone or video call. Initial setup requires an email activation, so it is worth being available for that first session.
What it costs
Individual and family subscriptions:
-
Monthly: £5.99
-
Quarterly: £15.99
-
Annual: £59.99
Email support is available for families who need help getting started or navigating the platform.
If your parent is in a care home
My Life TV offers dedicated care home subscriptions, which provide access across up to 30 devices, along with additional resources for activities teams. If your parent's care home does not yet have access, it is worth mentioning it to the activities coordinator or care manager, and suggesting they contact My Life TV directly for a trial.
Joanna Warren, at St Mary's Care Home, describes the effect on residents: "It is a complete game changer. Putting on some of the films instantly changes their mood. They are happy, laughing, interacting with other residents."
Other support that may help
For wider dementia support, Dementia UK offers specialist advice through its Admiral Nurse helpline, including for carents navigating the mid-to-late stages of a parent's dementia. Age UK can help with local services, activities and practical support. The Alzheimer's Society provides detailed information on all stages of dementia and has a national helpline. The National Activity Providers Association (NAPA) supports families and care staff with meaningful activity approaches, including digital tools.
If you have not already done so, a formal Carer's Assessment through your local council may open up additional practical support, including help with activities or respite.
For more on understanding and navigating dementia, see our dementia guide on the site.
Also worth knowing
My Life Films, the organisation behind My Life TV, is a founding supporter of The Dementia Dialogues podcast: honest, unscripted conversations between people living with dementia, carents and professionals about what living with and caring through dementia actually looks and feels like. Worth a listen during a commute or a quiet moment.
To find out more contact the My Life TV team: info@mylifefilms.org
