Trust’s Working Age Dementia Service feature in local dementia choir with Vicky McClure
Patients from Nottinghamshire Healthcare’s Working Age Dementia Service2 will feature in a dementia choir virtual concert, launched today, as part of Dementia Action Week (17-23 May)
The dementia choir’s concert, which has been pre-recorded and will be published online from today, is made up of The Major Oak Pop Choir, a local choir, as well as patients from the Trust. The concert has been organised by Dementia Friendly Mid Notts which consists of local partner organisations including the Trust’s Working Age Dementia Service. It joins forces with BAFTA-winning actor Vicky McClure’s 'Our Dementia Choir' to raise funds to make a difference to the lives of people in the local community and support much needed activities and therapy for people living with dementia and their carers.
You can view the dementia choir virtual concert here - Concert for Dementia Action Week 2021 - YouTube
Patient Mick and his wife and carer, Karen, took part in the choir recording and said:
“Mick has been able to live his dreams of singing on the stage at the Concert Hall and also at the Coliseum in London through Vicky McClure’s Dementia Choir. What he cannot remember on a normal day to day is very much overtaken by what he can remember through music and singing, and it brings the real Mick back to us, even for a very short period of time. We owe such a lot to Vicky and choir developers for bringing such an incredible group of people together.
The online concert will enable people to access and watch up to 40 people sing at any time and will be subtitled for those who want to sing along. There will also be contributions from Vicky herself and the Chair of Dementia Friendly Mid Notts.
Diane Holmes, partnership chair of Dementia Friendly Mid Notts said:
“Dementia Friendly Mid Notts are really excited to be involved in this opportunity to raise the awareness of dementia, whilst raising money for our local causes. The last year has been challenging for most, but we are starting to see signs of getting back to some normality. All funds raised will be used to support positive opportunities for local people living with dementia and those who care for them to be reconnected to their communities.”
Vicki McClure added:
“Through ‘Our Dementia Choir’ we get to meet and work with so many great people, it’s a real honour to be involved in this project, sharing the joy that music brings.”
The choir evolved as part of a project set up by Dementia Friendly Mid Notts and the Working Age Dementia Service called DREAM (Dementia, Relationships, Enabling, Activity, Make a difference) which was funded from the National Lottery ‘Awards for All’. The service recognised they had to change how they delivered their care during COVID times and as a result were able to deliver other projects with the funding to support patients, carers and their families to continue to live well with dementia such as:
- Creating gardening packs enabling homebased activities for 100 patients in the community, in partnership with the LIVE team - a small team who work across various inpatient services at the Trust to enhance patient experience and wellbeing.
- Creating an online carers group facilitated by a qualified councillor using MS Teams
- Tasters sessions at a day centre for people living with dementia
- Producing carer wellbeing packs and grab bags
- Adapting their memory treatment therapy to be delivered online (in groups) using MS Teams
For more information on how you can support this cause visit:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/supportdementiasinging
