How the Singing for the Brain group is helping dementia sufferers in Croydon
Angellica Bell spoke to volunteer Brenda Little about the community singing group that brings joy and laughter to Alzheimers sufferers
Last updated 24th Feb 2020
Every Saturday during Angellica Bell's Saturday Breakfast Show on Scala, listeners hear from community choirs from up and down the country.
This morning, Angellica spoke to Brenda Little from the Croydon Singing for the Brain Group - a singing project for Alzheimer's sufferers in the Croydon area.
"Well, we're not a choir but we meet every Friday and we have great fun singing," said Brenda, "I thought it would be to get some 'puff' for what we do."
The Alzheimer's Society reports that there are up to 850,000 dementia sufferers in the UK at the present time, with that figure rising to 1.6 million by 2040.
Watch videos of the group in action and you'd be forgiven for thinking that Brenda was being a little modest in her description.
"I can't believe you don't call yourslves a choir when you've got a group of people singing," said Angellica to Brenda, "You're creating music in a group!"
How many dementia suffers are there in the UK?
The Alzheimer's Society reports that there are up to 850,000 dementia sufferers in the UK at the present time, with that figure rising to 1.6 million by 2040. The total cost of care for people with dementia in the UK is £34.7billion. This is set to rise sharply over the next two decades, to £94.1billion by 2040.
During their conversation Brenda described what the experience of singing for the members was like to witness.
"Their faces come alight. They become quite animated. There's a lot of laughter. There might be a few tears, especially if we singing 'Annie's Song' by John Denver. We often split up and do singing in the round too.
"It's just great also for the folks who come with them - a husband or a wife or son or daughter. To see their loved ones coming so alive is just great. The music gets to them in some way. It's lovely. For the carers to come along and see the enjoyment is really important."
How does singing help dementia sufferers?
According to the Arts4Dementia website arts activities can help access the creative part of the brain, overriding the stresses of memory loss, elevates mood, re-energises and restores a sense of personal identity. Singing is one of a number of activites which can help trigger memories.
Brenda went on to explain how she came to volunteer for Singing for the Brain in Croydon.
"I heard about it through a friend who go to the same choir as I do. My mother had Alzheimer's about twenty years ago and we found that if we sang hymns with her it calmed her down a lot and made her more content. That's when I thought I wanted to help others to get that enjoyment and contemtent through singing I would like to get involved."
If there's a choir you think should be featured in the Community Choir spot email angellica@scalaradio.co.uk**.**
Singing for the Brain in Croydon is one of many groups supporting dementia sufferers across the UK. For more information on activities available in your area visit the Alzheimers Society website**.**
Angellica Bell's Saturday Breakfast Show is on Scala Radio from 7am