Well, that’s the first month of my placement done. The time’s flown by but I’m really pleased with everything that’s been achieved so far. I’m loving working at Strathcarron and I know already that I’ll be gutted come the end of June. Never mind; I’ll just have to make the most of every minute of the remaining 3 months! I’m really pleased with everything I’ve managed to cram in so far; I've raised a fair amount of money (with more to come) and I’m delighted that the project is making a difference to some of the patient’s lives.
One particular patient that I’ve visited several times over the course of this past week has particularly benefited from having the MP3 player by their bedside. Insomnia is a common problem but it’s one that can be improved, for some patients, by having music of their choosing on tap throughout the night. Not only has this patient been managing to sleep better, they’ve also been enjoying sharing their love of a particular type of music with some of the other patients on the ward during the day. It turns out that the little speakers, bought with some of the funds raised through the music quizzes, have been useful on the ward as well as in the private rooms!
Another patient - who finds it difficult to communicate - seems to enjoy not only listening to playlists of their favourite kind of songs, but also the time we spend using music as a catalyst to open up a dialogue.
Some of the patients who don’t particularly like music are still benefitting from having access to the music players. I’ve ripped a whole load of the hospice’s relaxation CDs onto the MP3 players and some of the patients are simply enjoying not having to change the disc in the CD player. They can listen to one CD after another without any interruptions; so, the sounds of the sea can follow seamlessly on from the sounds of the Complimentary Therapist's soft voice talking through specific relaxation techniques. A patient told me yesterday that they’d listened to over two hours of their ‘Relaxation’ playlist the previous night and had “just felt transported out of themselves for a wee while”.
Feedback such as that, to a simple “Ocht, that fair cheered me up dear!” from one of the Day Care patients (after watching a performance by a lovely group of Stirling High School pupils last week), is giving me a clear signal that the project is making a difference to some of the patients. And, now that I’ve got things properly off the ground – and most of the boring ‘preparation’ work is done – I’m thoroughly enjoying this phase of my placement. Spending a lot more time with the patients, using the therapeutic effects of music in many different ways, liaising more with the staff and starting to think more about leaving a sustainable set of practices in place when my placement’s finished are all at the very heart of what my work at the hospice is all about. And I’m just loving that work. I'm also in the throes of organising a fundraising social night, but I'm doing all of that in my own time.
I think it’s worth mentioning here that I’m just a very tiny cog in the massive wheel of everything that makes Strathcarron the special place that it is. The medical, social work, admin, fundraising, management, IT, education, physiotherapy – and many more – departments are there doing things, day in day out, that consistently make a tangible difference to patient’s lives. I’m humbled by many of these amazing people and am determined not to lose sight of the fact that my project is just one of many that have passed through the hospice’s doors over the years. Making sure that my activities in the hospice, and whatever I leave behind, work hand-in-hand with the staff and volunteers is something that I consider to be vitally important.
Something else I’m hoping to achieve with the project is to help with the building of bridges between local schools and the hospice. So, as I mentioned before, I arranged for a group of pupils from Stirling High School to come in to the Day Care unit last week to perform for a small group of elderly patients. I started with my own kids’ school, simply because I’m familiar with it (and because I know that the music department is fantastic!). My daughter Gemma happened to be in helping out at the hospice for the first time that day (and it also happened to be the day that my Mum volunteers! It was a three generation take-over!) as she’s home on holiday from Uni at the moment. I loved that Gemma was at Strathcarron the same day that Pat Scullion, her old Head Teacher, was visiting! Pat couldn’t have been more enthusiastic about the idea of bringing pupils along to perform for patients ...and perform they did – brilliantly! Here’s just one of the many highlights:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5dHjfajFzY[/youtube]
Few of the pupils had any idea what Strathcarron is all about, and neither really did Mrs Scullion. I’ve mentioned in a previous post that it’s a challenge for the hospice movement in general to raise awareness of the fact that hospices are not dark, dreary places full of ‘people at death’s door’ (as someone rather tactlessly said to me recently). Hopefully the pupils – and their head teacher - will all have gone home that night and started to spread the word to their friends and families that the hospice is a lovely, friendly place to be. (The pupils have also seen exactly where their hard-earned fundraising money will go – which can be no bad thing for a charity which has to raise over £3.5 million each year!) In return, the patients benefitted from a feast of young talent that really did ‘fair cheer them up!’ It’s a win-win situation – and one that I’m really keen to facilitate more often. I just need to find some more hours in each day and I’ll be laughing.....!!
Here's another of the talented pupils doing his thing for the small, but extremely appreciative, audience:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyJuix3LZ5I[/youtube]
Saturday 31 March 2012
Saturday 24 March 2012
More than just the music
Sometimes you find yourself in just the right place at just the right time. And that was definitely the case for me and Leah recently. Leah happens to be at school with my son and her mum happens to be a member of the nursing staff at Strathcarron. I’ve heard Leah sing at various school performances over the years, so I happen to know that Leah has a beautiful voice! So, I was delighted when she agreed to come along to the hospice and sing for the patients on the ward one evening last week.
The ‘ward’ at Strathcarron is made up of several single rooms and a few four-bedded rooms with open spaces in between. So, singing in the ward involved moving around, finding the most suitable spots for the patients, their visitors and the staff and, well, singing. No big fanfare, no big audience, no accompaniment, just Leah and her lovely voice. We visited some of the single rooms – where Leah sang for patients on their own or for patients and their visitors – or we stood in the open spaces and Leah just let her voice travel through the ward. It really was just lovely.
And, for one particular family, we happened to be in just the right place at just the right time. They asked me if Leah could sing an especially meaningful song at a particularly meaningful moment and - even though Leah wasn’t sure of the words or the tune - she managed to find the song on the internet on her phone then stood and sang it beautifully. It’s a moment I’ll never forget; knowing that a family were deeply touched by Leah’s song, watching such a young girl conduct herself with such maturity and compassion and feeling humbled and reminded that this placement is about so much more than just the music.
Here's Leah early on in the evening:
The ‘ward’ at Strathcarron is made up of several single rooms and a few four-bedded rooms with open spaces in between. So, singing in the ward involved moving around, finding the most suitable spots for the patients, their visitors and the staff and, well, singing. No big fanfare, no big audience, no accompaniment, just Leah and her lovely voice. We visited some of the single rooms – where Leah sang for patients on their own or for patients and their visitors – or we stood in the open spaces and Leah just let her voice travel through the ward. It really was just lovely.
And, for one particular family, we happened to be in just the right place at just the right time. They asked me if Leah could sing an especially meaningful song at a particularly meaningful moment and - even though Leah wasn’t sure of the words or the tune - she managed to find the song on the internet on her phone then stood and sang it beautifully. It’s a moment I’ll never forget; knowing that a family were deeply touched by Leah’s song, watching such a young girl conduct herself with such maturity and compassion and feeling humbled and reminded that this placement is about so much more than just the music.
Here's Leah early on in the evening:
Monday 19 March 2012
So, what's it all about?
I’m aware that I’ve not really told you much about Strathcarron Hospice itself, so I guess now’s as good a time as any! For the full picture, the Strathcarron website is excellent; there’s really far too much to the hospice for me to get across in my wee blog post. Instead, this is just my very general impression of what this very special place is all about:
I grew up in Cumbernauld and the hospice was (and still is) a popular choice for fundraising events in the local community (such as sponsored walks with the Brownies or sponsored silences in class). When I was in my early twenties, I moved from Glasgow to Stirling and Strathcarron was (and still is) a popular choice for fundraising events in the local community (such as a 10k road race or a Ladies Lunch). My mum was a District Nurse and cared for many patients in the community who'd also received different forms of care from Strathcarron. My mum’s retired now, but has been volunteering at Strathcarron for over 12 years.
So, 'Strathcarron Hospice' is a name that I’ve grown up with and a name that has always been very familiar to me. But, until I started volunteering there myself – when I was in my forties – I didn’t have a Scooby what Strathcarron was actually all about! I imagined it to be a depressing, slightly eerie place - like a hospital with its lights dimmed - where people simply went off quietly to to die. And I don’t imagine that I’m the only person who’s ever imagined that about their local hospice.
Well, nothing could be further from the truth. For a start, it looks nothing like a hospital. You walk through the front door - from the gorgeous grounds - to a beautifully decorated, modern reception area and are greeted by a cheery volunteer sitting behind the desk and an even cheerier ‘employed’ receptionist. And that kind of sets the scene for everything else about Strathcarron: the staff and volunteers are warm and welcoming; the physical surroundings are light and bright; the wards and single rooms – although all geared up for the best possible patient care with some similar equipment to that which you’d find in a hospital – are cosy and homely; the patients mostly wear their clothes and not their jammies; nobody wears a white coat; and it’s probably one of the friendliest places I’ve ever had the privilege of spending time in. It provides a positively enriching environment, not only for its patients but for their families, visitors, and the staff alike.
Strathcarron is a place where adults - of all ages - with life limiting illness (such as cancer, neurological disease, respiratory and heart conditions) go, but it’s certainly not a scary place and it’s definitely not a place where people only go to to die. In fact, over 40% of patients go home from the hospice after having benefited from the specialist support, in such things as pain control and emotional distress, that Strathcarron has to offer. And, the majority of Strathcarron’s patients are treated at home or in the community. The list of services the hospice provides is endless, and best delved into on the website. I think the main point I’d like to get across is that Strathcarron offers so much more to its local community than a caring, specialist environment for its patients. It reaches out to the families of those patients and caters for their needs – be that in helping them with practical or emotional issues – it also reaches out to clinicians and other caring professions outwith the hospice environment and educates them in a vast range of topics surrounding life-limiting illness, it reaches out to schools and educates staff about the special needs of some of their pupils who might have lost someone close to them, it reaches out to Universities and local hospitals and helps with research projects and palliative care training, and it reaches out and enhances the lives of hundreds of people in the local area who benefit from all that volunteering at Strathcarron has to offer.
As the website says: “ Hospice is not a place, it is a philosophy of care that values each individual..”. Giving value to people’s lives - no matter whether they’re being treated at the Lymphodoema clinic, receiving emotional or practical support from the Patient and Family Services team, being treated at home by one of the Clinical Nurse Specialists, attending the day care hospice for specialist treatment (or just for the banter with fellow patients), benefiting from one of the many complementary therapies on offer, having improved mobility after a session with the physiotherapist, being able to go home after help from the Occupational therapist or, indeed, receiving the gentlest of palliative care in the last few days of life – that’s really what Strathcarron’s all about; valuing people’s lives. No matter what stage those people are at in their life.
Ocht, there's so much more to it than that - but I think I'll leave it at that and encourage you to check out the website for lots more information. It really is an amazing place, and I had another great day there today.
It may sound like a bit of a cliche, the old volunteer's mantra; "I'm getting lots more out of this than I'm putting in", but it really is true! Today was a case in point for me when I handed over my first music player to a patient. After spending a good bit of time last Friday, listening to them chat about their favourite music, I'd loaded up the Walkman with a bucket-load of their special songs. It was so rewarding to see the smile that spread across the patient's face this morning when they pressed 'play' and heard their favourite Scottish fiddle music drifting out through their headphones. I know it sounds like such a simple thing, but it was another lovely moment where I was lucky enough to witness my project making a bit of a difference to someone's day. And that certainly felt good!
I grew up in Cumbernauld and the hospice was (and still is) a popular choice for fundraising events in the local community (such as sponsored walks with the Brownies or sponsored silences in class). When I was in my early twenties, I moved from Glasgow to Stirling and Strathcarron was (and still is) a popular choice for fundraising events in the local community (such as a 10k road race or a Ladies Lunch). My mum was a District Nurse and cared for many patients in the community who'd also received different forms of care from Strathcarron. My mum’s retired now, but has been volunteering at Strathcarron for over 12 years.
So, 'Strathcarron Hospice' is a name that I’ve grown up with and a name that has always been very familiar to me. But, until I started volunteering there myself – when I was in my forties – I didn’t have a Scooby what Strathcarron was actually all about! I imagined it to be a depressing, slightly eerie place - like a hospital with its lights dimmed - where people simply went off quietly to to die. And I don’t imagine that I’m the only person who’s ever imagined that about their local hospice.
Well, nothing could be further from the truth. For a start, it looks nothing like a hospital. You walk through the front door - from the gorgeous grounds - to a beautifully decorated, modern reception area and are greeted by a cheery volunteer sitting behind the desk and an even cheerier ‘employed’ receptionist. And that kind of sets the scene for everything else about Strathcarron: the staff and volunteers are warm and welcoming; the physical surroundings are light and bright; the wards and single rooms – although all geared up for the best possible patient care with some similar equipment to that which you’d find in a hospital – are cosy and homely; the patients mostly wear their clothes and not their jammies; nobody wears a white coat; and it’s probably one of the friendliest places I’ve ever had the privilege of spending time in. It provides a positively enriching environment, not only for its patients but for their families, visitors, and the staff alike.
Strathcarron is a place where adults - of all ages - with life limiting illness (such as cancer, neurological disease, respiratory and heart conditions) go, but it’s certainly not a scary place and it’s definitely not a place where people only go to to die. In fact, over 40% of patients go home from the hospice after having benefited from the specialist support, in such things as pain control and emotional distress, that Strathcarron has to offer. And, the majority of Strathcarron’s patients are treated at home or in the community. The list of services the hospice provides is endless, and best delved into on the website. I think the main point I’d like to get across is that Strathcarron offers so much more to its local community than a caring, specialist environment for its patients. It reaches out to the families of those patients and caters for their needs – be that in helping them with practical or emotional issues – it also reaches out to clinicians and other caring professions outwith the hospice environment and educates them in a vast range of topics surrounding life-limiting illness, it reaches out to schools and educates staff about the special needs of some of their pupils who might have lost someone close to them, it reaches out to Universities and local hospitals and helps with research projects and palliative care training, and it reaches out and enhances the lives of hundreds of people in the local area who benefit from all that volunteering at Strathcarron has to offer.
As the website says: “ Hospice is not a place, it is a philosophy of care that values each individual..”. Giving value to people’s lives - no matter whether they’re being treated at the Lymphodoema clinic, receiving emotional or practical support from the Patient and Family Services team, being treated at home by one of the Clinical Nurse Specialists, attending the day care hospice for specialist treatment (or just for the banter with fellow patients), benefiting from one of the many complementary therapies on offer, having improved mobility after a session with the physiotherapist, being able to go home after help from the Occupational therapist or, indeed, receiving the gentlest of palliative care in the last few days of life – that’s really what Strathcarron’s all about; valuing people’s lives. No matter what stage those people are at in their life.
Ocht, there's so much more to it than that - but I think I'll leave it at that and encourage you to check out the website for lots more information. It really is an amazing place, and I had another great day there today.
It may sound like a bit of a cliche, the old volunteer's mantra; "I'm getting lots more out of this than I'm putting in", but it really is true! Today was a case in point for me when I handed over my first music player to a patient. After spending a good bit of time last Friday, listening to them chat about their favourite music, I'd loaded up the Walkman with a bucket-load of their special songs. It was so rewarding to see the smile that spread across the patient's face this morning when they pressed 'play' and heard their favourite Scottish fiddle music drifting out through their headphones. I know it sounds like such a simple thing, but it was another lovely moment where I was lucky enough to witness my project making a bit of a difference to someone's day. And that certainly felt good!
Wednesday 14 March 2012
Getting my poster just right
I'd hoped to organise a fundraising 'sit down and appreciate' concert during my placement, but I've opted instead for more of a social event; an evening of live music with a buffet and dance floor thrown in! The venue's booked (a large ballroom in a local hotel), the live music line-up's been arranged and I've made a start on asking for raffle prize donations.
So, I spent about 4 hours in front of my computer last weekend trying my best to design a poster for the event. Much of that time was spent swearing at my laptop; I'm absolutely hopeless at that kind of thing. However, I eventually produced something that resembled a poster and was so chuffed with the result that I stuck it up on our fridge door. My two eldest children were home for a visit from their respective Universities at the weekend and, as per usual on their arrival, we were all gathered in the kitchen blethering and catching up: "What d'you think then kids?", I asked my 20, 18 and 16 year olds. A very long pause was followed by "Yeh, em, it's, em, it's really good Mum. Well done!" Another long pause was followed by, "I could always give you a wee hand with it Mum..." Humph. However, a wee while later, my daughter produced this for me:
So, I spent about 4 hours in front of my computer last weekend trying my best to design a poster for the event. Much of that time was spent swearing at my laptop; I'm absolutely hopeless at that kind of thing. However, I eventually produced something that resembled a poster and was so chuffed with the result that I stuck it up on our fridge door. My two eldest children were home for a visit from their respective Universities at the weekend and, as per usual on their arrival, we were all gathered in the kitchen blethering and catching up: "What d'you think then kids?", I asked my 20, 18 and 16 year olds. A very long pause was followed by "Yeh, em, it's, em, it's really good Mum. Well done!" Another long pause was followed by, "I could always give you a wee hand with it Mum..." Humph. However, a wee while later, my daughter produced this for me:
m delighted with it. Next, I need to think about designing and printing off tickets for the event........wonder if Gemma's got any free time on her hands this week....?!
Monday 12 March 2012
Bloody brilliant!
I just couldn't think of another title for this post that better summed up how I felt as I left work at 5pm tonight. As I've said before, much of my time so far has been spent preparing the groundwork for actually working directly with the patients, but last Friday a member of the medical team suggested a patient that might benefit from a chat with me and asked if I would see them fairly soon. I was more than happy to do that and visited the patient later on that morning. As a result, I feel that I really properly got my placement off the ground on Friday and started doing what I've been really looking forward to doing most at the hospice; giving patients time to talk, using music as a catalyst, and hopefully finding some way of helping them as a result of our chat. Now, I obviously can't go into any details, but I can tell you that the person desperately misses playing their beloved guitar. After discussing whether or not they would find it too upsetting to listen to a guitar being played, the patient was delighted when I suggested that I'd try to arrange for a guitarist to come into Strathcarron to play for them.
I contacted a friend of a friend, someone whom I've seen perform live locally and know is amazing on guitar, and asked if he would consider giving up a bit of his time to play for the patient. The result was that this afternoon the lovely John Boos sat on a chair at the side of my first 'placement patient's' bed and, amongst other things, played this:
A difference was made to that patient's day by John's generosity in giving up his time and by his incredible musical talent - and that made me feel, as I headed off for home, bloody brilliant!
I contacted a friend of a friend, someone whom I've seen perform live locally and know is amazing on guitar, and asked if he would consider giving up a bit of his time to play for the patient. The result was that this afternoon the lovely John Boos sat on a chair at the side of my first 'placement patient's' bed and, amongst other things, played this:
A difference was made to that patient's day by John's generosity in giving up his time and by his incredible musical talent - and that made me feel, as I headed off for home, bloody brilliant!
Wednesday 7 March 2012
One week down already!
Nearly a week has passed since I officially started my placement, but I've crammed so much in that I feel as though I've been there for much longer! Much of my time has been spent being introduced to staff, familiarising myself with ward etiquette, spending sooo much time investigating the legal side of sharing music files and storing copies of music, in meetings, on the phone or on the computer. But, it's all been really productive and, although I've not had the opportunity as yet to spend much time with the patients, the ground work has been well and truly laid.
I'm delighted with the deal struck with The Sony Centre to supply the MP3 players at a very reasonable price and I'm looking forward to collecting the first 10 Walkmans on Friday. I've opted for Sony Walkmans for various different reasons but mainly because they're not touch-screen (so easier for the patients to handle), they're quite chunky and they're so much cheaper than ipods. (Except for the ipod shuffle, but that's no good as the patients can't see their playlist or choose specific songs). I'm also hoping to pick up docking stations, along with some other accessories. Nothing is being rushed into as I want to make sure that every pound is well-spent and that not one of the pennies that people have so generously donated is wasted.
So, soon I'll really be getting the project off the ground by spending time with some of the patients; chatting to them about their favourite music, or songs that mean something to them, and compiling personal playlists for them. I'm so looking forward to that. I've been touched by the reaction of the staff to the whole concept and I'm fair excited about the opportunity to liase with them when they feel that specific patients would benefit in more specific ways from the therapeutic effects of music.
I've arranged a meeting next week with the rector of one of the local high schools as I'm keen to bring school choirs and musicians into the daycare area - and the ward where appropriate - as soon as possible. I'm aiming to use this project as an opportunity to raise awareness in the wider community that hospices aren't scary places. So, not only will the patients benefit from being entertained by the kids, the pupils will benefit by gaining a much better understanding of what the hospice is really all about. I'm also excited about the prospect of some members of my choir performing for the patients - there's such a wealth of talent in Heart of Scotland and I'm hoping to tap in to it shamelessly!
An aspect of my project that'll require a lot of funding is the provision of cameras and a system to enable 'broadcasting' of live performances; I've not got a clue what sort of money's involved as yet, but I've set the ball rolling by fixing up a meeting for next week with a technical expert to give me some ideas.
So, plenty to be getting on with! Next post I'll tell you a bit more about the hospice itself. For now though, bed methinks!
I'm delighted with the deal struck with The Sony Centre to supply the MP3 players at a very reasonable price and I'm looking forward to collecting the first 10 Walkmans on Friday. I've opted for Sony Walkmans for various different reasons but mainly because they're not touch-screen (so easier for the patients to handle), they're quite chunky and they're so much cheaper than ipods. (Except for the ipod shuffle, but that's no good as the patients can't see their playlist or choose specific songs). I'm also hoping to pick up docking stations, along with some other accessories. Nothing is being rushed into as I want to make sure that every pound is well-spent and that not one of the pennies that people have so generously donated is wasted.
So, soon I'll really be getting the project off the ground by spending time with some of the patients; chatting to them about their favourite music, or songs that mean something to them, and compiling personal playlists for them. I'm so looking forward to that. I've been touched by the reaction of the staff to the whole concept and I'm fair excited about the opportunity to liase with them when they feel that specific patients would benefit in more specific ways from the therapeutic effects of music.
I've arranged a meeting next week with the rector of one of the local high schools as I'm keen to bring school choirs and musicians into the daycare area - and the ward where appropriate - as soon as possible. I'm aiming to use this project as an opportunity to raise awareness in the wider community that hospices aren't scary places. So, not only will the patients benefit from being entertained by the kids, the pupils will benefit by gaining a much better understanding of what the hospice is really all about. I'm also excited about the prospect of some members of my choir performing for the patients - there's such a wealth of talent in Heart of Scotland and I'm hoping to tap in to it shamelessly!
An aspect of my project that'll require a lot of funding is the provision of cameras and a system to enable 'broadcasting' of live performances; I've not got a clue what sort of money's involved as yet, but I've set the ball rolling by fixing up a meeting for next week with a technical expert to give me some ideas.
So, plenty to be getting on with! Next post I'll tell you a bit more about the hospice itself. For now though, bed methinks!
Monday 5 March 2012
The winner!
I've been selling music quiz sheets for the past few weeks to help raise money towards buying equipment for my Myriad of Music project. I've been overwhelmed by the response and, after hoping for a couple of hundred pounds to get me started, I've managed to raise over £1000! Fundraising is only a small part of the work involved in my placement, but it's vital component as much of what I manage to achieve in the hospice will depend on how much money I can pull in.
Anyway, back to the quiz sheets. Entries closed last week and tonight at my choir practice I asked Annie, our choir leader, to pull one of the 'top marks' entries out of a bag. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the name on the winning sheet - Linda Sterry; my friend that I wrote about in my last post, the same friend that inspired me to apply for this placement!! I'm absolutely delighted that she won - and I'm relieved that a full choir were witness to the fairness of the draw!!
For any of the readers of my blog who entered the quiz, the answers can be found on my JustGiving page.
Anyway, back to the quiz sheets. Entries closed last week and tonight at my choir practice I asked Annie, our choir leader, to pull one of the 'top marks' entries out of a bag. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the name on the winning sheet - Linda Sterry; my friend that I wrote about in my last post, the same friend that inspired me to apply for this placement!! I'm absolutely delighted that she won - and I'm relieved that a full choir were witness to the fairness of the draw!!
For any of the readers of my blog who entered the quiz, the answers can be found on my JustGiving page.
Sunday 4 March 2012
A dedication to the wee boy who made it all happen
I wouldn't be familiar with the World of Difference Scheme, let alone be working on a placement funded by them, if it wasn't for Linda. We met just over a year ago, when we started Module One of the COSCA Counselling Certificate together. Round about the same time, Linda was announced as one of the WoD winners, with her chosen charity being The Scottish Cot Death Trust. Linda chose The SCDT as she'd experienced, first hand, just how vitally important the support that this small organisation offers is. In Linda's own words, from one of her own early blog posts on this site:
"my son died suddenly and unexpectedly aged two, no illness no warning, one day he was running around softplay, painting with his brother and friends the next day he had died. It IS every parent’s worst nightmare and it is one I have been living with for the last two years. But I guess my point is that the reason I am here is that I am inspired by my son’s strength of character, lust for life and the imprint he made on so many people (some who knew him, some who didn’t) in just two tiny years that it has made me take life by the horns and aim to do something meaningful… Gregor is without doubt my inspiration for being here today and wanting and needing to ‘make a difference’"
Today would've been Gregor's 5th birthday. I, unfortunately, never had the pleasure of meeting him - but I do feel as if I know him as the essence of Gregor is kept very much alive by Linda, her husband and her other son Ben (whom I adore!).
So, I just want to take this opportunity to say a special Happy Birthday to Gregor. A great wee lad who inspired his mum to do something positive for other people, and whose mum, in turn, inspired me to have a go too. Our chosen charities are pretty different, but our objectives are pretty much the same - to do something meaningful and, of course, to make a difference.
"my son died suddenly and unexpectedly aged two, no illness no warning, one day he was running around softplay, painting with his brother and friends the next day he had died. It IS every parent’s worst nightmare and it is one I have been living with for the last two years. But I guess my point is that the reason I am here is that I am inspired by my son’s strength of character, lust for life and the imprint he made on so many people (some who knew him, some who didn’t) in just two tiny years that it has made me take life by the horns and aim to do something meaningful… Gregor is without doubt my inspiration for being here today and wanting and needing to ‘make a difference’"
Today would've been Gregor's 5th birthday. I, unfortunately, never had the pleasure of meeting him - but I do feel as if I know him as the essence of Gregor is kept very much alive by Linda, her husband and her other son Ben (whom I adore!).
So, I just want to take this opportunity to say a special Happy Birthday to Gregor. A great wee lad who inspired his mum to do something positive for other people, and whose mum, in turn, inspired me to have a go too. Our chosen charities are pretty different, but our objectives are pretty much the same - to do something meaningful and, of course, to make a difference.
Friday 2 March 2012
Singing Staff!
I've found my first act to perform for the patients at the hospice! There we were this morning, me and Kirsty (my line manager), working away on our computers in the office, when we were interrupted by a knock on the office door.
"We've come to sing for you!"
Next thing, the door burst open and in piled a bunch of the ladies from the kitchen - all of whom I'd met for the first time yesterday.
"We just think this music thing's a great idea, so we're here to show you what we can do!"
Aw man, it was absolutely brilliant! And, those lovely ladies totally summed up the spirit in which - I'm delighted to say - my project's been welcomed by the staff at Strathcarron. Enjoy!
"We've come to sing for you!"
Next thing, the door burst open and in piled a bunch of the ladies from the kitchen - all of whom I'd met for the first time yesterday.
"We just think this music thing's a great idea, so we're here to show you what we can do!"
Aw man, it was absolutely brilliant! And, those lovely ladies totally summed up the spirit in which - I'm delighted to say - my project's been welcomed by the staff at Strathcarron. Enjoy!
Thursday 1 March 2012
Wearing a new badge, and why!
Well, today I worked at the hospice for the first time wearing this badge:
rather than this one:
And, it felt so good!
I’ve not really gone into any detail about my placement on this blog so, before I go any further, I think I should explain what it’s all about.
When I was thinking of a project that would make a difference to the hospice, I focussed on two of the things that I like to do best; listen to music and listen to people. By doing that, my ‘Myriad of Music’ idea started to take shape. It’s pretty simple, but often the simplest ideas are the most effective, and it basically involves bringing the therapeutic effects of music to Strathcarron in as many different ways as possible.
It’s common knowledge that listening to music, or singing along, can lift our spirits and help us to relax; especially if that music is meaningful to us. So, there lies the first part of my project; I’m going to spend a bit of time with patients, asking them about their favourite music (which should be a therapeutic process in itself) then make up a personal playlist of their favourite songs, or the music that’s most meaningful to them. The patient will then be supplied with their own MP3 player – after I’ve loaded it up with their personal playlists - for the duration of their stay at Strathcarron. With the patient’s permission, the playlist could be transferred onto a CD as a special keepsake for their family.
The single rooms in the hospice will also, hopefully, be provided with docks and speakers. I say hopefully because much of this part of my project is dependent on how much money I can raise, and how many donations I can pull in. I started fundraising a few weeks ago and, again, often the simplest ideas can be surprisingly effective. I made up a music quiz sheet, set up a Just Giving page, and sold the quiz sheets for £2 a go. I’d hoped to raise a couple of hundred pounds - which would’ve been enough to get me started with a number of MP3 players and some other accessories - but I’ve been overwhelmed by the response and have managed to reach a total of £970 so far. I’ve also been given, free of charge, a brand new Walkman by a local supplier - The Sony Centre in Bridge of Allan – and I’m hopeful that this proves to be the beginning of a partnership that’ll help me put more of my Myriad of Music ideas into practice.
But, all of this costs money so – as much as my placement is not primarily about fundraising – the last part of the project should hopefully bring in enough cash to help put some more of these ideas into practice. And, what better way to raise money than a music event featuring the best rock and soul choir in Scotland?! A venue to host the night, starring my beloved Heart of Scotland Choir, has been booked for the eighteenth of May. Now I just need to leave myself enough time to get it properly organised, along with everything else I’m hoping to achieve while I’m working at Strathcarron! Yup, it’s going to be a really busy 4 months, but I simply can’t think of a better cause to be busy for!
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