THE VIEW FROM HEREIT'S an activity that is not defined by the illness," says Sandra Kealty, in her passionate plea for Island support of Singing for the Brain, a national initiative spearheaded by the Alzheimer’s Society.
Having previously praised a BBC programme on Singing for the Brain, I was invited by Independent Arts, that admirable charity providing therapeutic arts projects on the Island, to attend one of 12 singing sessions currently being funded by a grant from the Rural Community Council and to witness the joy and delight that emerge when tired and confused brains are roused into recovered memory and ability.
Sandra Kealty has trained with Singing for the Brain and brings to the current group an irresistible vigour and enthusiasm, encouraging but not patronising, taking account of limitations but treating her class like any other community choir. Nobody talks about dementia, or medication, or the hell of ageing.
As the session progresses, there’s increased participation until everybody is singing, reviving words and tunes from the depths of fogged memories.
Dementia can be horrible beyond description but, just for a while, when the singing rang out, it was replaced by normality and happiness. "Singing is good for recall, for concentration, for confidence. People begin to relax and smile," says Sandra Kealty.
The current sessions will soon finish. Ideally, Independent Arts would like Singing for the Brain to be put on a permanent footing.
It would like sessions to be held in centres which are not specifically for the old or infirm and attended by carers and families, too. Their lives are often swamped in exhaustion and desperation and this would provide the respite of enjoying an activity on an equal footing with their dependants.
The cost, by the standards of any caring society, would surely be achievable.
The hire of a hall, Sandra Kealty’s fee of £25 per session, some transport and sundry costs. But does the Island care? Does it have vision to see what benefits regular Singing for the Brain sessions would bring?
Could the council, so adept slashing the cost of care, look in the coffers at the money it has saved and spend a fraction of that on this lifeline?
Crumbs — is this how to decide the election?
SUCH a lot of things to consider before we go to the polls in a few weeks’ time. Is Cameron too posh? Is Brown too cross? Who is Nick Clegg?
What will finally influence our decision? Policies, perhaps. Boring, you say? They’re all the same? And they all lie? OK, you may be right.
Not policies then. Anyway, they’re old-hat. Our party leaders are currently playing the spouse card. Sarah Brown, Samantha Cameron and, oh yes, who is Mrs Clegg?
I’m dubious about that one, too. What is it with these women? In the good old days, you had sensible wives such as Dorothy Macmillan, who conducted a brisk affair with Lord Boothby while her husband was PM and was thus far too busy to give simpering interviews.
I think biscuits are the answer. The influential networking site Mumsnet is always asking politicians what they like best in the biscuit tin.
Gordon Brown wouldn’t give a straight reply. Finally he said "anything with chocolate on". Cameron likes oat cakes and the other bloke likes Rich Tea.
You will naturally want to know about our Island candidates before you vote.
So far, I have polled the three main parties. Andrew Turner likes Rich Tea (ooh, Andrew, that’s the same as the other bloke — signs of a Con-LibDem pact, hmm?) which he dunks.
LibDem candidate Jill Wareham likes a HobNob, undunked.
And our Labour representative, Mark Chiverton, didn’t reply to the many messages I left in his office, on his mobile and at his home. Useless. Just like his leader. I’ll