Care homes sing for hope for Dementia Action Week

Twenty-three care homes run by The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) performed, and many more joined, for a collective ‘sing for hope’ event today (Friday 21 May), part of Dementia Action Week.

The event focused on music therapy for residents living with dementia and was the culmination of a week of music-themed activities, such as life story work and reminisce record playing, in OSJCT homes.

The interactive concert was a follow up to The Big Memory Sing which was organised by OSJCT The Lakes Care Centre in 2019. This year, as it wasn’t possible for large groups to come together, each home organised singing in social bubbles. Residents and employees joined a two-hour online concert that featured performances and songs to sing along to.

The event was hosted by OSJCT Admiral Nurse Nikki Rowe, in collaboration with music therapy organisations: Mindsong, a Gloucestershire charity that specialises in reaching people with advanced dementia and Let’s Sing in Oxfordshire.

Nikki said: “We planned this event for residents and employees to enjoy after the restrictions and challenges of the past 15 months. It was an opportunity to actively participate in Dementia Action Week using music and singing to increase wellbeing and collectively care for one another.”

Sarah Davis, Activities Co-ordinator at OSJCT Monkscroft Care Centre in Cheltenham which took part, explained: “A resident had an idea to write a song to the tune of ‘My Favourite Things’ from the Sound of Music. Residents and team members created a list of their favourite things, then small groups, or one-to-one, we wrote the verses. We had had a wonderful time writing and recording a performance for the Sing for Hope event.”

According to Let’s Sing, music and singing help to minimise some of the symptoms of dementia such as agitation and confusion and can help to alleviate some anxiety and depression. It is known to improve the quality of life for people living with dementia by helping to increase social interaction and reducing stress.

Milla Stephenson from Let’s Sing said: “It is wonderful to witness someone who is living with dementia and who may have lost the ability to communicate coherently, sing an entire song with uninhibited enthusiasm. Sing for Hope provided us all with the wonderful opportunity to raise our voices in song and to share our feelings of joy.”

Kate Hicks Beach from Mindsong said: “For people living with dementia singing is the most wonderful thing. It helps bring back memories, it unites them with those they are singing with and allows them to be more 'themselves' in that moment and remember something of who they are.

"Dementia can be a lonely journey and singing together with friends is the perfect antidote to isolation. I can't recommend it enough.”

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