Singing group’s fifth anniversary

1:00pm Thursday 28th April 2011

Singing group’s fifth anniversary

PEOPLE suffering from dementia and their carers were in good voice as a local singing group celebrated its fifth anniversary.

Singing for the Brain sessions, which are run nationwide, can bring multiple benefits for participants. For people with dementia, remembering the lyrics, singing along in time and meeting other people with the condition can be hugely beneficial, while for carers, the weekly meetings can be a welcome break for the day to day grind of caring for the seriously ill.

The Singing for the Brain Old Basing group, which has celebrated reaching the five-year mark, meets weekly most Fridays between 11am and midday in the Parish Room at St Mary’s Church, Old Basing and practises a variety of songs, from classic oldies to more recent hits.

The group sing-songs, which are run with the support of the Alzheimer’s Society, based in Chequers Road, Basingstoke, are also held weekly in Hartley Wintney at the Methodist Church Hall, in the High Street And the sessions are proving so popular that Mark Green, support services manager for the Basingstoke branch of the Alzheimer’s Society, said the group are thinking about setting up another session in Basingstoke.

He said: “Up to 45 people attend each session, and space is quite limited. We don’t want to get to the point where we have to say no, so we’re thinking about setting up another Singing for the Brain group in Basingstoke itself.

“In the last five years, the group at Old Basing has gone from strength to strength. For some of the participants, it is no exaggeration to say that it is the highlight of their week.

“It’s very beneficial to people with dementia and also for their carers. The numbers have grown through word of mouth and the sessions are a great success.”

The programme, which started out as a pilot project between West Berkshire Alzheimer’s Society office and the University of Reading, was developed by music specialists to stimulate, challenge and involve gentle physical activity.

For more information about the local Singing for the Brain sessions, call Alzheimer’s Basingstoke & District Branch on 01256 363393.

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