What is the Dementia Inclusive Singing Network?
Luminate is Scotland’s creative ageing organisation, and our vision is that all older people in Scotland are able to access high quality arts and creative activities, whatever their background and circumstances and wherever they live.
Luminate has been awarded funding by the Life Changes Trust and the Baring Foundation to set up a dementia inclusive singing network for the whole of Scotland. The nationwide network aims to ensure that people living with dementia and their family and carers have the opportunity to sing in a choir or group in their local area. The network is supported by our partners Age Scotland, Making Music and Scottish Care, and with additional support from The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust and The Pear Tree Foundation.
We will support groups across Scotland in a number of ways, including:
- Advice and support for new and existing choirs and groups
- Guides and training for song leaders and organisers
- Enabling connections between existing groups and song leaders so that skills and experience can be shared
We want to support groups whose work focuses on people living with dementia and their carers in a specialist context, as well as sharing information and tools to allow community choirs to support existing or new members who may be living with dementia.
Why is it important to support dementia inclusive singing?
We think it is important that people living with dementia and their carers have the chance to sing in a group locally. Research has already shown that the benefits of participation in community singing can include improved mental, social and emotional well-being, increased confidence and improved quality of life.
Group singing also provides the opportunity for fun, friendship, feeling happier, feeling worthwhile and feeling valued. Singing in a choir or group can give a sense of belonging as well as a sense of pride in the group and its achievements, and individuals can do something they enjoy, where dementia is not the focus.
Who is the dementia inclusive singing network for?
The network exists to support all kinds of groups to be inclusive of people living with dementia, including:
- Existing choirs, singing groups and their leaders – singing groups, community choirs, professional choirs and every kind in between
- Groups that are already dementia inclusive, or have members who are living with dementia
- Anyone who wants to set up a choir or singing group that is dementia inclusive
- Choir or singing group members who are living with dementia and their carers
- And everyone who loves to sing!
We hope the network will help people living with dementia, their families and carers to more easily access high quality singing activities in their communities, and enjoy all the benefits that we know this can bring in relation to well-being and inclusion.
How do I get involved?
Explore the website to find guides, news, singing events, training and more. If you welcome and include people living with dementia in your singing activities, we’d love you to join our Network Map, which shows information about singing groups and choirs across Scotland so people can easily find information about groups in their local area.
Make sure you keep up-to-date with the latest news about the network by signing up to our e-news.
You can also get in touch with us directly by email, phone or our social media channels. See the details below – we would love to hear from you.
Email: singing@luminatescotland.org
Phone: 0131 668 8066