Dear ones, at the end of this week I’m doing the Movement Medicine "long dance"- 72 hours straight of dancing.

We all dance for something outside of ourselves, fundraising for charities, holding an intention as we deep dive dance throughout the whole period; making the whole 3 days straight of dancing a give-away to some mighty good causes.

I’m raising money to support the use of dance and music to soothe and stimulate dementia sufferers and to support others to set up initiatives to bring this work into dementia care in as widespread way as possible.

For those whom don’t know my dear Mamma is now a long way down the dementia road. Alzheimer’s kicks all of our asses. She can no longer stand or walk unassisted. Yet if I put some headphones on her and she’ll wiggle her fingers and feet way more, gently moving her body in the chair-the music touching some precious part that the rest of us can’t reach right now. I so see first-hand that working in this way brings aliveness. The notion of bringing as much life as possible into our lives whilst we are here is an important one to me. Music and dance substantially enhances the day to day experience of those whose lives are now sadly smaller than they once were as the dementia takes hold. There is immense evidence that it increases engagement, mobility and substantially boosts mood. Please do watch the video below on the benefits of this work (caution- inspiring and weep inducing!!!)

It’s absolutely not lost to me that my own professional practice uses music, dance and headphones to enhance people’s lives - I so see first hand the benefit this brings. So I’m delighted to support the following charities whom are taking these ways of working into dementia care in the following ways:

-Playlist for Life provides training and resources for friends and families to make their relatives their own personalised playlist of precious songs and guides them through skillful ways of getting them moving and grooving in the many dementia situations where professional facilitation may not be readily available . https://www.playlistforlife.org.uk

- Arts For Dementia trains arts facilitators, musicians and dance teachers to bring their existing work into dementia care situations. https://arts4dementia.org.uk

- Music for Dementia is the umbrella organisation which supports the various local charities doing amazing work to bring more life into dementia suffers lives through music and dance. https://www.musicfordementia2020.com

Your donations will be spit between the organisations listed.

I've chosen these charities as they support bringing music and dance into dementia as widely as possible; and encourage others to start where they are, with whatever they have, in order to make the benefit of music and dance in dementia accessible to as many people, in as many places, as possible.

I'd love your support to support these organisations in bringing their work widely to the world; bringing music, movement and dance to enhance the lives of dementia sufferers; cultivating connections, reminding us all to stay in touch with the simple passing pleasures of being alive.

With love and thanks

Tess

More info from the Music for Dementia website:

“Music and dance can be a lifeline for people living with dementia. It facilitates shared, quality musical moments with friends, family and carers. Music for people living with dementia isn’t a nicety, it’s a necessity. We’re social creatures and music helps create communities, offering inclusive, meaningful social experiences.

Music enables people to be contributors and not just recipients of care. It provides opportunities for people to reconnect with a sense of autonomy and agency, at times when they may feel as though they have little or no control because of the impact of dementia.”

Last year, the International Longevity Centre (ILC) and the Utley Foundation found that music therapy improves a person’s physical health and mental wellbeing. Sally Greengross, Chief Executive of the ILC, said: “[It] helps to significantly minimise some of the symptoms of dementia, such as agitation, and can help to tackle anxiety and depression. Listening to the right melody can even help patients retain their speech and language skills for much longer because processing music requires a different part of the brain.

People in the advanced stages of the disease can no longer speak or understand words, which can be very upsetting for family members – but music provides them with an alternative means of communication and it’s proven to be effective.

Alongside the Music for Dementia 2020 campaign, the NHS also recently proposed using music as part of a new treatment plan.Published last week, the proposal – set out by Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock – describes how doctors would prescribe ‘personal playlists’ for their patients.It comes as the Government aims to introduce ‘social prescribing’, which includes exposing patients to the arts and reducing the need for medication."