Erskine Park singing group

After completing the nine week course, ‘Singing for the Brain’, Caron Rough and Jane Brittain, have brought this ground-breaking programme to the Erskine Park Recreation Department.

This fun programme is dedicated to helping persons dealing with the challenges of dementia to enjoy a friendly and supportive group through singing. It promotes the use of instruments and the involvement of residents and their families in a stimulating environment.

Despite not being trained singers, Caron and Jane took it upon themselves to use their new found knowledge to create a singing group. It follows on from an afternoon cafe every Wednesday, with residents, their friends and families and volunteers taking part.

After just three months trying this new technique, Caron and Jane have already noticed a difference in the behaviour of their residents who react to the sounds around them.

Jane said, “A lot of our residents don’t read so their relatives hold the singing sheets and our residents remember them from memory. It is a sound they will know from the past. It can often be distressing for our residents’ families to see their loved ones so far gone, but when they see their relative’s sing and enjoy themselves it means a lot to them and makes it so worthwhile.”

Caron added: “We did not expect it to take off the way it has. The good thing about it is that you don’t need to be a trained singer. Once everyone is singing you don’t notice