Music and Memories at Crawley Hall, Bryngwn – a true tonic.

This wonderful activity takes place every Tuesday at  2.30 – 3.30 pm.

Much has been written in recent years about the benefits of singing to help those living with dementia. Dementia has obvious detrimental effects on cognitive, psychological and behavioural functioning, as well as major impact on those who provide care for them. Finding a holistic remedy in a psychosocial setting has now been well recognised as something that all care providers need to consider; quite simply because it has the power to make a significant difference to so many lives.

The Music and Memories group in Crawley Hall, Bryngwn has been promoting this kind of fun and social sing-along for over six years with great success. Organised through the Alzheimer’s Society, a team of volunteers and the brilliant Julian, who plays guitar and sings, welcomes into the charming little hall anyone living with dementia or those affected by it. So relatives come along and join in too, have a pre-sing-along chat over a cup of tea and cake, before everyone takes up their position in a circle and chooses hits and old favourites from a number of song books.

Laughter, making new friends and song is all part of the experience which feed into Music and Memories undoubted success. But we must add: Music and Memories and we at Penpergwm House can’t thank everyone at Crawley Hall enough for their genuine kindness and determination in striving to make a difference week after week – without flagging. We have been attending now for a while and our residents absolutely love and look forward to each Tuesday afternoon. Eager to walk through the doors and reluctant to leave, the hour slot of musical merrymaking inspires, spreads joy and lifts mood over and over again. That should be enough incentive let alone the growing scientific weight extolling this superb intervention in the battle against dementia.