If you were looking for a post last week then I am sorry, there were things that I couldn’t control that meant I was unable to do a post.
We are getting closer to our Sing-a-thon day on the 15th of November. It is always a great day when we get to meet up with people we don’t see at any other time of the year. There will be dancing and singing and an energy like you have never seen before. If you would like to sponsor us, then you can go to Libby’s post of the 24th of October and find the link to the giving page, please give what you can afford. Every penny of it will be spent on supporting those people we work with.
I am delighted to tell you that we had a training session on Thursday as we now have three new music facilitators. What is always great when people are prepared to share themselves with the other attendees. If we are going to identify with those with a lived experience of dementia, then we will need our emotions. We will also need to use those emotional responses to help create an environment where accurate communication takes place. I am happy to tell you that those who were at the training did that in spades and the feedback given was excellent. My role was to facilitate their learning, and the content could only hit the spot if they gave of themselves. I thoroughly enjoyed the morning.
It's always good when you hear of growing services and we only started our Wednesday group in August, and we already have twenty people plus carers attending. Thanks to all who are making this group work so well.
On Saturday we were at Open Door celebrating the Music for Health and Well-being project. We have been delivering this for two years with each attendee creating a scrapbook that tells people about themselves and about how music has played a significant part in their journey. I am sure many of you will have heard of Barbara Dickson. Well, she is the patron of Open Door and attended the celebration, she took a real interest. Kenny and I have sung in front of a world star, and she had the privilege of being a Forget Me Note. We hope that the third year of the project will be about research, creating a model that has credibility within the world of dementia care. Forget Me Notes is all about validation and enabling people to tell their story. I wish I could show you the scrapbooks and just how precious they are. People are sharing times of grief and how music has played a part, others are about holidays and places that have left an imprint in the heart, others celebrate the joy of family and people who play a vital role in their lives. I am sure there is a musical scrapbook in all our lives, and to see how we use music in the most important parts of our lives is amazing. Dare I say sound and rhythm play a part that nothing else can.
Have a great week and in the words of my mate Bruce Forsyth. Keeeeep Singing!