On the 12th of July we are holding a musical Garden Party at the Ashbrook Centre at 492 Ferry Road between 2pm and 4pm. The recent Dementia strategy published by the Scottish Government brought with it some changes. People living with learning difficulties have always been more open to dementia and have received their support through the learning support environment. The direction for the future is that dementia services should be delivered under the one umbrella. The Garden Party sees The Forget Me Notes Project making an active step towards providing a service for those with learning needs as part of those with a lived experience of dementia. It will be great to have young people from the Yard and others with special needs, as well as people from the care home at Eagle Lodge. This event is open to all, it is going to be The Forget Me Notes answer to Glastonbury and a real musical jamboree.
This week we have delivered music sessions at St Brides, Lauder Lodge, Open Door, Stenhouse and Morningside. Listening to the stories of people is such an important role. There is a saying that we all have a book within us, in my view we have several books. The significance of each person’s story is that they are unique, they tell us of the different ways that people interact with each other, with the environment and with music. Helping people to express themselves more fully is about listening to emotions that may have laid buried for many years.
This week we reviewed the Music for Health and Well Being project at Open Door. We are building a musical scrapbook for each person who uses the service. The scrapbook will tell the story of how music is used for travel, relaxation, for social eating and to enable people to tell others about who they are. These musical scrap books will sit alongside a more traditional care plan that will help share a creative story of the persons life. It will be a resource to use for communication when verbal communication or memory loss makes it more difficult to tell their story.
Have a great week wherever you might be in the world (some of our members are on holiday abroad).