Last Monday saw me attend the volunteers support meeting. It was a training session using the reflections of the volunteers around a film that we had watched, we then had to consider how we use language with those living with dementia. To say I was encouraged would be an understatement. Having a vision for a project can be the desire of one person but bringing that vision to fruition demands a team. I could not have been prouder of our team than when I left this session. I must commend our Volunteer Co-ordinator Elizabeth for her work with the volunteers because the capacity for people to use the time, reflect and learn could not take place without the appropriate environment. That environment has been built not just in this session but in the trust built throughout the lifetime of the volunteer project.
After such a positive morning it was onto a visit to a care home with regards to starting new work and that was good too, we will start sessions with them next week. I was also able to submit a note of interest to a funder which we hope to take forward. We have always seen ourselves as a bridge between music used for entertainment and music for therapy. So, we aim to build a music therapy project with a small group and individual sessions that will enable those people who find the structure of songs more demanding. The opportunity to explore sound and rhythm is still important and this project will allow for that.
Thursday was a long day, ending up at Stenhouse Wynd though is always special. The group at Stenhouse is not our biggest group but what it does allow for is the chance to move at a pace dictated by the group. We end up chatting about all sorts of things. We spoke about the importance of friendship and supporting one another. We also spoke about Valentine’s day and peoples experiences of loving relationships.
When I worked as a counsellor at Cruse, we would often explore those things we treasure and the impact of loss. We keep our treasures in different places, don’t we? Perhaps in the bank, even in a memory box, however, we always keep them in our hearts. We work mainly with older people, many of whom live alone. Either their partners are no longer alive or they are living with dementia and experiencing the loss that comes with the ongoing issues that dementia brings with it. The things we treasure the most is kept within our hearts, the people, the experiences, those things that mere words cannot describe.
Whether Valentine’s Day is one where you buy a card for someone or you celebrate the memory of someone the treasure will be found in your heart.
Hope you feel loved this week.