A charity is to use £1.6m of lottery funding to help create more personalised playlists to tackle dementia.

Playlist for Life teaches families and care staff how to create a unique soundtrack to a person's life.

It claims UK-wide homes trained by them report a reduction of up to 60% in medication for residents with dementia.

The £1.6m from the National Lottery Community Fund delivers half the money required to grow the existing grassroots network, which has a target of 1500 help points.

Rev Helen Jamieson, playlist leader in Carluke, Lanarkshire, said: "Playlist for Life has changed my ministry.

"The training we received opened our eyes to the power of music to reach people with dementia.

"Personal music is now a regular part of the way our church supports people living with the condition and their families.

"We have incorporated playlists into church services, pastoral visits and even funerals."

Playlist for Life was founded in 2013 by the writer and broadcaster Sally Magnusson after the death of her mother Mamie, who had the disease.

Its first ever community help point was at St Andrew's Church of Scotland in Carluke.