Memory Spinners, our project designed to engage with people living with dementia through music and art, has begun at Glasgow’s St Columba’s Church and Holy Trinity Church Hall in St Andrews. Having launched in 2012, the sessions were put on hold for two years during the pandemic and this is the first time the groups have been able to come together since.
We believe, and indeed have shown, that engagement with music and the other art forms can help those living with dementia and their carers to stay positive, and take pleasure in some of the many aspects of engaging with the arts that bring happiness and fulfilment. This helps to alleviate feelings of anxiety and distress which this disease brings to so many people’s lives.
A key aim for the programme is to create a relaxing and welcoming environment, where people can develop informal support networks as they get to know one and another. Each week, rehearsals and visual arts activities build towards a short performance inspired by the music, characters and storyline of a popular piece from the operatic repertoire to which friends and families are invited.
A team of artists and volunteers are on hand to ensure that everyone can participate on an equal footing, including those with the diagnosis, as well as those who they share their lives with – as it’s vitally important that the carer is also free to focus on their own personal creativity and enjoyment. Over the years, many carers and family members have expressed how precious the opportunity to share the communal experience of creating a performance has been in maintain their relationship with their family member or friend, especially as the disease progresses.
Those who have taken part in Memory Spinners previously praised the sessions for having a fun, inclusive and encouraging atmosphere, saying they were great for making new friends, learning new creative skills and reducing feelings of isolation. As well as being a positive experience for those living with dementia, carers felt the sessions gave them a much needed respite from caring. One carer described Memory Spinners as “one big happy family”, saying her aunt “changes into a much calmer and happier person” when attending the sessions.
The Memory Spinners programme is open to all with a diagnosis, no matter the stage, along with their family member or carer. New members are very welcome, and those interested in signing up can contact: Katie.Poulter@scottishopera.org.uk
The Glasgow sessions will run until 4 April at St Columba's Church, 74 Hopehill Rd, Glasgow G20 7HH.
The St Andrews sessions will run until 5 April, and a new block will also run from 19 April to 21 June at Holy Trinity Church Hall, Queens Terrace, St Andrews, KY16 9QF.