SONGS of JOY

The Weekly visits a choir in Dubbo that is bringing hope to people living with dementia, their family and friends.

- WORDS by GENEVIEVE GANNON

Alan is friendly but softly spoken. He's never considered himself much of a singer and so was sceptical when he was invited to attend the Sing Out Choir in Dubbo. It is now the best part of his week. Every Tuesday, he and his wife, Mary, travel 75km from the small town of Mendooran to join between 120 and 200 enthusiastic community members for a vocal workout. Alan particularly enjoys getting up to dance. For him, Sing Out Choir is not just a hobby but an important part of how he manages his dementia.

“It’s like a medicine without taking drugs,” says Mary. “It does so much good for your body. Alan’s dementia has a Parkinson’s piece too, so it helps him keep coordinated. It’s a full-impact workout. We're very lucky we found it.”

“I'd try anything to make things better,” Alan adds.

Sing Out Choir is the brainchild of registered nurse and dementia counsellor Anne Gemmell, who wanted to bring joy and support to people with dementia and their loved ones in the regional NSW town.

Alan and Mary Fleming (“One ‘M’, we can’t afford the second one,” quips Mary) say it has been a lifeline for both of them. Having watched his mother slowly succumb to Alzheimer’s disease in 2012, and then his brother to frontal lobe dementia, Alan felt “lost” when he was told he had Lewy body dementia about two years ago.

“It was a hard thing to take,” says Alan, who has also lost his sight.

“I thought, ‘Oh well, I’ve got to live with it’. And I can live with it and just keep trying harder. That’s why I’ve pushed myself at choir, and if I can push it a little bit further, I will. And I have improved, improved, improved.”

“I think it’s a very lonely disease even if you’ve got sight,” says Mary. “The brain gets frozen and it’s quite scary.