How Singing for the Brain helped our family create joyful memories after Mum’s dementia diagnosis
Following my mother’s dementia diagnosis, my sister Jo and I wanted an activity that would bring us closer to Mum and help us build happy memories despite her devastating illness. Mum had always loved singing — one of my earliest memories is singing old-time music-hall songs with Mum and Dad in the car. Singing for the Brain, run by the Alzheimer’s Society, became that activity. It provides a stimulating, joyful space for people living with dementia and their family members. Research shows musical memories are often preserved longer than other memories, so listening to and singing familiar songs can bring emotional comfort, reduce anxiety and depression, help maintain speech and language skills, and improve quality of life. Mum lost the ability to communicate early on, but she kept remembering the words to familiar songs. Because I love singing, I trained to become a group leader for Singing for the Brain, and I still volunteer, singing on zoom once a month. Our sessions are lively and fun, as we sing a mixture of show songs, songs from the 70s and 80s and even action songs.
You don’t have to join an organised group to benefit from music, but many family members have told me how helpful it is to meet others in a similar situation. For Mum, Jo and me, the weekly singing sessions gave us a time to be together, to laugh and enjoy being a family during a very difficult journey.
Carolyn
Find out more at the Alzheimer’s Society: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/your-dementia-support-services/singing-for-the-brain
Share this post: