Singing Boosts Wellbeing in Fleet

Research by Age UK shows that in Fleet alone, the relative risk of loneliness in the over 65s ranks as ‘very high’ in three neighbourhoods and ‘high’ in a further six.

Local care provider Right at Home is only too aware of how loneliness and social isolation link to physical and mental health and so in addition to offering care in people’s own home, staff also run a number of regular social activities for older people in the area.

In Fleet, there is a weekly dementia-friendly Singing for the Mind group which takes place every Tuesday from 2.30pm to 3.30pm at the Fleet United Reformed Church.

Sophie Eagle, who organises the event with local musician Paul Tickner says: “We have such a lovely time at Singing for the Mind and I always come away feeling very uplifted. We sing all sorts of songs including gospel, folk, jazz and songs from the shows, plus we leave time to share memories evoked by the music.

“We have people who attend when they can and others who come every week without fail. Music, and singing in particular, has been shown to boost brain activity and plays an important part in slowing the progress of dementia. I find it so rewarding to see how this hour a week makes such a positive difference to the wellbeing of the people who attend.”

Sophie joined Right at Home two years ago and with training and support, she is now Right at Home GF’s Recruitment and Community Engagement Officer. 

She says: “Right at Home is very community-focused and having received additional training in dementia care, I have been supported in putting these skills to good use so that more people can benefit. Running Singing for the Mind is a very rewarding part of my job and has been a great way to get to know even more people in Fleet. Do come along if you fancy getting out the house for a while – I can guarantee you will be made to feel very welcome.”

Singing for the Mind costs £2.50 per person and everybody is welcome. See our Community Events for a list of local events and support groups.