Monday 26th February 2024

This week has given new opportunities and exciting possibilities. We started on Monday with a team meeting. This is an example of how The Forget Me Notes Project has grown. Having a team of four paid staff means meeting together and building a team that will move us forward still further. After the team meeting, I went to a meeting related to a funding opportunity. We have placed a note of interest for the Community Mental Health and Welfare fund. The meeting enabled each of us who have made a note of interest to present comments around services and tell our stories. I really enjoyed finding out about the various services that are working within Edinburgh. It shows a desire from people to support those who are vulnerable and to do it in the most effective way possible.

On Tuesday I spent some time with our music therapy student. Hearing about the work she is doing and exploring with her the learning possibilities is something that I really enjoy. Study for study’s sake may lead to a more developed sense of self but study that leads to better practitioners means that those using services can be assured of the best services possible.

Ensuring that we have sufficient funds to continue our work means funding applications and writing reports on the money we have spent. I have had to do both during this week. It is a chore to be honest but when you turn those chores into positive responses then we can use the money gained to ensure we have the services for those who will benefit the most.

On Friday following a series of Music Memories on Thursday I was doing supervision for a project we are doing with Open Door. The aim to see music as a part of the way care and support are given in everyday situations is a passion of ours at Forget Me Notes. When I was told that one of the service users was struggling in an afternoon activity staff decide to use the wonderful new room, they have decked out with a 60’s style record player and use an LP of Fleetwood Mac. The service user moved through the difficult emotions she was feeling to then be able to re-enter the main room with the group in a more positive way. What a beautiful use of music for both the service user and the staff.

Somebody once said to me that the message we carry with regard music is not rocket science and in so many ways that is true. Building effective relationships using music however is beyond rocket science. It is unique to each person and requires a staff team who with empathy create a space and an environment where self-expression is not something to be feared but through trust is welcomed.

Good to know that what we have to say both verbally and emotionally has value and is worth listening to.

Have a good week!

Monday 19th February 2024

This week began with the supervision of our Volunteer Coordinator. I always enjoy reflecting and listening to the way in which people work. I enjoy it because it also gives me a chance to reflect on what I bring to my role at Forget Me Notes. The privilege of working with others comes with a responsibility for doing your best.

Monday also saw our Zoom Choir, which is held every week. Zoom Choir was originally a product of the Pandemic, and it would be easy to think that now we can all meet together face to face, there would be no need for choirs on Zoom. However, as far as we are concerned our Zoom Choir is still attended by around twenty people from all over the UK and so it has become a time that we all look forward to.

We had a good Trustee meeting on Tuesday with an agenda that helped us to consider the issues that will mean the continued development of The Forget Me Notes Project. We are lucky to have Trustees who are committed to the project and provide good support for Paul, myself, and the project overall. This means we are more able to achieve outcomes we have set ourselves.

On Tuesday afternoon we delivered a session at Camilla House. It was a good session seeing partners dancing together as well as singing with enthusiasm. I was able to take a bit of time to visit one of the residents there who along with her husband have been a part of The Forget Me Notes Project for a few years. She is not well so it was good to go and see her, to assure her of our support. While I was in the room with her and her husband, I began to sing the song Morning has Broken, a song they had at their wedding. It was lovely to see her response as she opened her eyes and smiled.

When we met at Saughton Park on Thursday it was wet. I know we are in the glasshouse, but it is definitely not watertight so before the session went ahead we needed to mop up some of the water with a towel! There were more than forty people present, it was half term so having some children in the room meant adapting the songs to enable them to take part. We were able to sing Baby Shark, Yellow Submarine and You are my Sunshine. You wouldn’t think of You are my Sunshine as being a modern song but the youngsters who were there on Thursday loved it.

My week closed with a music memory session at Ashbrook which went well. Not as many people came on Friday but those who were there really enjoyed the session. We did have one new person who came to see what happened at Forget Me Notes in order that she could encourage her father to come and join us.

I can’t remember the program where the phrase originated but “try before you buy” comes to mind. It feels to me that when you get a chance to sample something it’s a good thing. It’s like a visit to Costco when you get so many samples that by the time you have finished your visit you don’t need any lunch. I am sure I am not the only one!

Have a good week.

Monday 12th February 2024

Last Monday saw me attend the volunteers support meeting. It was a training session using the reflections of the volunteers around a film that we had watched, we then had to consider how we use language with those living with dementia. To say I was encouraged would be an understatement. Having a vision for a project can be the desire of one person but bringing that vision to fruition demands a team. I could not have been prouder of our team than when I left this session. I must commend our Volunteer Co-ordinator Elizabeth for her work with the volunteers because the capacity for people to use the time, reflect and learn could not take place without the appropriate environment. That environment has been built not just in this session but in the trust built throughout the lifetime of the volunteer project.

After such a positive morning it was onto a visit to a care home with regards to starting new work and that was good too, we will start sessions with them next week. I was also able to submit a note of interest to a funder which we hope to take forward. We have always seen ourselves as a bridge between music used for entertainment and music for therapy. So, we aim to build a music therapy project with a small group and individual sessions that will enable those people who find the structure of songs more demanding. The opportunity to explore sound and rhythm is still important and this project will allow for that.

Thursday was a long day, ending up at Stenhouse Wynd though is always special. The group at Stenhouse is not our biggest group but what it does allow for is the chance to move at a pace dictated by the group. We end up chatting about all sorts of things. We spoke about the importance of friendship and supporting one another. We also spoke about Valentine’s day and peoples experiences of loving relationships.

When I worked as a counsellor at Cruse, we would often explore those things we treasure and the impact of loss. We keep our treasures in different places, don’t we? Perhaps in the bank, even in a memory box, however, we always keep them in our hearts. We work mainly with older people, many of whom live alone. Either their partners are no longer alive or they are living with dementia and experiencing the loss that comes with the ongoing issues that dementia brings with it. The things we treasure the most is kept within our hearts, the people, the experiences, those things that mere words cannot describe.

Whether Valentine’s Day is one where you buy a card for someone or you celebrate the memory of someone the treasure will be found in your heart.

Hope you feel loved this week.

Monday 5th February 2024

The power of music to be a pathway to communication is something that never ceases to amaze me. I remember watching the video of Henry who when he first had his earphones being able to communicate in ways that without his music he can’t. The way in which Forget Me Notes started was because of someone who was non-verbal being able to sing songs. Well, it happened again this week. I was involved in a session at a new care home which we had never been to before where a resident who was non-verbal attended. While we were singing the man was able to mouth the words clearly and sing with us, what was so good is that he was smiling and interacting throughout the whole session. It was so clear just how positive this experience was to him. We can talk about things being beautiful and this was one of those moments.

On Friday we were back at the Festival Theatre. We hadn’t been there since early in December, so it really was good to be back. We took the theme of Valentines or perhaps it would be more accurate to say it was about reflecting on those we love. It was a great afternoon with as many as sixty people. I love the opportunity of engaging with the people who being able to help people feel that they are a part of something.

We are looking to place a note of interest for the Community Mental Health and Welfare fund. It’s not the biggest grant that we have applied for, but it is an important one. Our volunteer project was born from realising that some people due to their changing health condition were not able to attend face to face Forget Me Notes events. Establishing the volunteer project has proved to be an excellent move and one that has shown just how Forget Me Notes can respond quickly to the needs around us. We will place a note of interest to establish a project that will move us nearer to a music therapy model. This will involve a small group and give us the opportunity to employ a music therapist who will work individually to enhance people’s communication opportunities. Establishing vision and bringing those visions to a practical delivery of a service needs to be thought through. This is another dream that we hope to make a reality.

Thanks for all your support. and have a good week.

Monday 29th January 2024

I know it happens every year, but we have hardly got our Christmas decorations in the loft when it is February. The only bonus this year is that we get an extra day on the 29 February as it is a leap year. This month we have taken the theme of Scotland for January, and it has been great singing Bonnie Wee Jeannie McColl. I usually follow the song and ask people if they can remember their Co-op number. It really is amazing how many people can remember theirs, their mother’s, and some their grandmother’s. This dementia thing can be quite baffling, can’t it? When family members hear this and then realise that the person cannot remember their name it can be so distressing. There is one thing about Scottish songs, the melodies and lyrics unite people. They are like a rallying cry.

This week I spent time with a carer who is having to deal with the issue of finding a care home for the person she loves the most. Having been a care home manager and received people into care homes, I have seen just how devastating decisions like these really are. My head tells me that there comes a time when people living with dementia need a team of people to support them and while this is true you need time for your heart to catch up with your head.

Also, in this past week I spent time with one of our Choir members who lives alone, when I arrived to see him, he had no heating and was huddled around a fan heater. Along with his daughter I helped to get him two other heaters and arrange for his boiler to be repaired. I also found that his internet was not running. Now, those who know me know that while I can work my way round a computer, I am not the most technical of persons. I do know though when the plug is not fully in the socket then no Wi-Fi signal is possible! You and I might see this as trivial but if you are wanting to send emails to friends abroad and it is the only way of keeping in touch with people you care about, then it can be incredibly frustrating.

Standing alongside those who need us is a privilege and an honour and the thing is, at some point in our lives we will all need the support of others. I heard someone say that we are our best selves when we are in community with others. It’s a statement that is worthy of reflection.

I am reminded of the pop song with the words that say, “Love will keep us together whatever”. Words that are so easily sung but take immense physical and emotional strength for them to become a reality. If you need a friend, take courage, pick up the phone, send an email and reach out, as another song says, “reach out, reach out I’ll be there with the love to see you through”. Whether you are the one reaching out or the one being reached out to, then play your part with strength and respect.

Have a good week.

Monday 22nd January 2024

There is one thing that you can say about being a part of The Forget Me Notes Project you never have an ordinary week. We have had really good Music Memory sessions at Eagle Lodge, Quarries and Ashbrook. Our session at Ashbrook saw sixteen people attending which was great and the most we have ever had to this group. The sessions lead by Kenny and John at St Brides and the session led by Alan and Alice at Seagrove were also positive sessions.

We also had the most amazing session at Saughton Park in the glasshouse. The children from Broomhouse Primary school joined us and we enjoyed their Scottish highland dancing and the songs we sang together. We had the biggest turn out we have ever had. The enthusiasm that the children bring to the session is truly infectious. The singing of Ya Cannae Shuv Yer Grannie Off A Bus was just brilliant.

We have a had two new projects this week that have confirmed they would like to work with The Forget Me Notes Project and we will also be speaking to two other providers this coming week about future work.

We submitted two funding applications this week which is not bad going and we have one to send this week. If you are a member of the Co-op then you could be of help to us. We have been nominated for a grant and all we have to do is get members of the Co-op to nominate us as their preferred charity. The more people who nominate us the more money we will get, so if you are able to vote for us, we would be very grateful.

Monday 15th January 2024

It was an interesting week last week, a sort of first week back after the festivities and a challenging week for me. I had to attend a hospital appointment I am fine but needed a procedure completing. What was interesting was that throughout the procedure the consultant and nurses were using music as a way of ensuring that the situation was not as stressful as it might have been. Another example of how when music is used well in everyday situations it can be used as a therapeutic intervention.

Along with the usual music memory sessions we held our monthly trustee meeting. It was an interesting meeting, particularly the discussion around social prescribing and how we place ourselves in the best position for medical staff to prescribe The Forget Me Notes project as a form of support and treatment. We have always taken the view that everyone is welcome and that is still the case and I hope it always will be, however it is important that we enable professionals the chance to see our services as credible treatment spaces. We decided that we should begin to talk about professional referrals and self-referrals in order that we place ourselves in the best place to receive future participants.

I declared at Zoom Choir this week that Jam was not my favourite food, so when it came to indoor choir one of our members brought me some cherry jam that she made herself. I had to try it but not in a traditional way with toast, I got some vanilla ice-cream and used it as a topping. It was beautiful, the sharp taste of the jam alongside the ice cream. While music is therapeutic so is creating community and exchanging conversations around ordinary everyday things (like jam). Isolation is an awful thing it can make people seriously ill and so whatever we can do to make people feel a part of something that is what we must do. I have mentioned before that we have a saying “Once a Forget me Note always a Forget me Note”. The saying is all about belonging and whether you are a volunteer, a carer, a person with a lived experience of dementia, a member of staff or a supporter: if you want to you can belong.

They tell me that today is blue Monday - it is supposed to be the bluest day of the year. If this is how you feel maybe you could look up Forget me Notes if you live in Edinburgh, if not then there might be a choir for you in the place where you live. Singing together can be such a wonderful chance to build friendships and experience a sense of belonging. One of our members used to say, “I am more than myself when I sing in the choir”. Well for me that feels like being a part of something, it feels like community.

See you next week.

Monday 8th January 2024

At the beginning of a New Year, I was asked by someone “What do you hope for Forget Me Notes this year?” It is of course a very relevant question and one that deserves reflection. The broad response is that we must respond to the needs of those people living with dementia and their carers. The specific answer means looking at the issues surrounding what that means.

The 23rd January will see us delivering training to more music facilitators to enhance our Music Memory program. They are most definitely needed because we are getting new work regularly. Today will see two new facilitators working together at Seagrove and John and Kenny will be back at St Brides. The St Brides session is so interesting because it happens during a foodbank and reaches so many people from different cultures representing different needs. At the Christmas session we found out about Christmas in the Ukraine and in Poland, we also listened to songs sung in Chinese. This mosaic of community is a privilege to be a part of and I am certainly hoping that we can build on opportunities like these.

We have already set our vision for the Volunteer Project and that is to make our monitoring and evaluation more robust. This will enable us to hear the voices of those that use the service and respond to those things that people request of us. It will highlight what we do well and give us the opportunity to look at those areas that need improving.

Our three choirs are just a joy! On Thursday 4th January we were in Saughton Park where we had 35 people singing in the glasshouse which included people who came for the first time. Once again John graced us with a New Year’s joke, we were able to share together with stories of Christmas and the time we have spent in the last two weeks. Today will be Zoom Choir the first since New Year and it will be good to meet up with those who live in other parts of the UK.

All these services show that we are building community, using music, and challenging isolation: the aims of Forget Me Notes as a whole. Well, I suppose that remains the answer to my friend’s question, that we continue to use music to meet our aims in a way that is relevant to those who we meet.

Have a good week and see you next time.

Monday 1st January 2024

Happy New Year!

This will be a short post because we haven’t really been doing any face to face work this week. We will however start the year on Thursday at Saughton Park with a good old Scottish sing-a-long. Watching a bit of telly last night I saw the programme Get the Tunes On with Michelle McManus. It was good people reminiscing about their favourites at New Year. Runrig singing Loch Lomond, Lulu singing Shout, Paulo Nutini singing anything.

We had a few days away this week and John and I sat down to look at a Showcase we are planning for late March early April. We have decided that rather than wait for funders to fund us we will actively show them what we do and it’s impact by holding a cabaret evening. We aim to invite funders and let them see for themselves, hear the stories told by those living with dementia and their carers. Getting your message across on paper is not as easy as letting people see for themselves. The main issue will be getting them to come along but we have ways and means.

All this is for later, today we celebrate that we have the opportunity to make things happen. So to you and yours have a Guid New Year! ( as we say in Scotland)

Monday 25th December 2023

And so, this is Christmas and what have you done?

What a good question for Forget Me Notes. This is a time when we look back over the last year and think about all the amazing things that have taken place during the last year.

Zoom Choir remains an important part of the project. Something that was established during covid has become an important part of what we do. It has also helped us with what can be achieved when using Zoom and how we can keep in contact with people.

We have started new Music Memory sessions and found five wonderful sessional facilitators who now are such an important part of Forget Me Notes. We are delivering 27 sessions a month, which represents more and more people being given access to music from a therapeutic point of view.

We started a partnership with Open Door called Music for Health and well-being and we continue our partnership with Capital Theatre with Together In Song.

Our two face to face choirs continue to be meaningful and well attended. At Saughton Park on Thursday fifty people, including children from Broomhouse Primary school gathered to sing together. It was great hearing children sing, the older adults sing and then all singing together it was marvellous.

Our volunteer project with 23 volunteers continues to reach out to support those who cannot come to the community-based services we offer. It is good to realise that people can be supported at whatever the level of dementia.

We also welcomed a new administrator and look forward to the benefits this will bring in the New Year.

As Mariah Carey sings “All I want for Christmas is you”. Lets make this season about the people we love and value. While we may not be able to afford those presents that everyone may want, we can afford a hug and then tell people that we love them. Just think about how this may affect someone’s health the whole year round, not just for Christmas.

Have a good time and see you in the New Year!

Monday 18th December 2023

This week we held our first team meeting with four employees. We have another five freelance music facilitators but direct employees we now have four. It felt as though we were beginning to build a new team. Having a new person will always change the dynamics as they bring their experience and personality to their role. It is great to have Libby as our new administrator and it is good to see her skills already impacting upon the services we run. Having a face-to-face meeting was good, for while working without a base saves on costs it is not always easy being seen as a part of a team. I am looking forward in the New Year to build an effective team across all aspects of the project and this week was a good start.

Another opportunity for me this week was to attend the Cross-Party Music Group at the Parliament. They always have a live performer and in this session we had two. One playing accordion and the other guitar. They were both outstanding in their particular genre ( I think that’s the word I am looking for) and it gave a good foundation to consider the impact that music has upon us all. Imagine my disappointment when Education was spoken about and how the cuts that are imminent will mean music playing a lesser part in our children’s curriculum. I have never been known for sitting quiet when things are troubling me. I process things out loud which I know for some people can be irritating. We are all different, so I spoke out and asked my question. I referred to studies that show that those who are exposed to Music are likely to achieve more than those who are deprived of this opportunity. I know from my own experience of school life just how much music did for me. I struggled through school and found English to be a nightmare, however having the chance to excel in music gave me a sense of worth and the ability to survive when teachers really had no understanding of the issues I faced. It was good to hear that my first question was not considered as poor because the chairperson said “Thank you for a good question and something I must keep in mind”. I could settle down, listen to the meeting and realised what it must be like for a new MSP or MP to speak in such surroundings.

The rest of my week has been spent in delivering Music Memories and looking for funding opportunities. It was good to get into the chore of our work and realise that while discussions may take place in the corridors of power, the real corridors of power lie in the Care Homes, Day Centres, Bandstands and wherever else people are being supported to express themselves.

My daughter was wearing a T-shirt with the words “Be your best self”. My initial reaction was to think how good is that, I like that. I reflected further on the word best and who decides? We all share different thoughts and evaluations of what is best, it’s why I always smile when I hear people say, “We have to get this right”. I haven’t yet discovered what doing things right really means. We take the situation we are in, and we do our best with what we have at that time. The beauty is that for those who love us it is always good enough. My ambition is to enable those living with dementia to be a version of themselves that brings them and those who love them a living identity of the spirit they have always shown.

Don’t b Flat,

Don’t b Sharp,

B natural

Monday 11th December 2023

Our week began on Monday with St Bride’s, St Cuthbert’s and Morningside. We are now really into Christmas activities and the singing of Christmas songs! Exploring Christmas memories and traditions is interesting, with different people with different memories. Christmas impacts people in various ways both positive and negative. Each memory needs to be respected and handled with care. We must never take for granted the trust people place in us as they share their stories.

Tuesday brought Eagle Lodge, Seagrove, Quarries, and The Hive. The Hive is a part of the support that is given to those people who find themselves in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. It is run by SAMH and offers support to people from a social model of support. We had never sung there before and didn’t know what to expect. It was certainly different but clear that those who were a part of the session took something from it. We also shared in our volunteer Christmas gathering and I was glad that I was able to be a part of it. We have wonderful volunteers who are doing so much beautiful support to those they work with. One volunteer enables a person to play piano duets, and another holds an accordion while the person she supports is enabled to play. These different ways of using music are amazing and ones that we at the Forget Me Notes project are very proud of.

We had wonderful news about funding for our Volunteer Project as we secured £15,000 from RS Macdonald for two years’ funding of the project. I expect you can imagine that news was met with great celebration, along with the realisation that people were putting their trust in us to deliver a positive project and we are committed to doing just that. If you are a member of the Co-op, then you can support Forget Me Notes. We have been nominated for a community award which means that if you nominate Forget Me Notes then any time you buy a Co-op product, we will receive a penny for every pound you spend. The award period lasts for a whole year so we can secure a substantial amount of money if you are able to support us.

Thursday and Friday saw us at Open Door, Saughton Park, Strachan House and Ocean Terminal. Ocean Terminal is a shopping centre here in Edinburgh, and around the centre there are several hubs that are in place to encourage reminiscence. Singing in the centre was about promoting The Forget Me Notes Project and the Living Memory Association, which was a privilege. Working together to provide experiences for those living with dementia is part of what we are about, both here to enable others, so working in partnership is amazing and we hope that we will have more chances to continue working together.

Have a great week!

Alan

Monday 4th December 2023

This week I have had the privilege of doing two review of services that we deliver to other providers. Reviewing the work of other people is a privilege that needs to be done with respect, understanding the context in which a service is being delivered. The comments shared with me by providers was so easy to listen to because they were so happy with the service that they have been given. It is testimony to the quality of the other facilitators who work with us. Why am I so pleased? Well, it is because for so long those living with dementia have been short-changed by the services given to them. The services generally to older people are so underfunded and the services to those with dementia are even more challenging. To be a part of turning services for people living with dementia into a quality that is deserved is my life’s work.

We delivered the first Christmas session this year when we did Together in Song at the Festival Theatre. It was a great afternoon. I know by the end of December I will be happy to put away the Christmas songs for another year but before I do, I am going to enjoy the celebration. This coming week we will be doing our usual Music Memory sessions along with Saughton Park. We will be at the Hive in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and in Ocean Terminal at the Wee Hub, a memory centre in one of the indoor shopping centres in Edinburgh. It is a fun time, it is a time to sing and celebrate but we mustn’t ever forget that dementia is a whole year-round illness and it brings with it tensions and challenges each and every day. Being able to offer people a measure of relief and positivity through music is an honour.

The aims of The Forget Me Notes project to build community, challenge isolation and provide enhanced opportunities for communication are so relevant at Christmas. We have so many opportunities over the next month to carry that message as we build community, encourage participation, listen to stories, and be inspired.

Hope you have a great week.