The music of one of Scotland’s top folk bands is helping unlock memories for Tayside’s dementia sufferers.
The Dundee based Doolichters’ songs are taking elderly patients back to their roots and reminding them of times past.
Now, as lockdown rules finally ease, the group that has a collective age of 343 is hoping to play live at residential homes and care centres across the region to help as many folk as they can.
And after a wave of local publicity at the end of last year, they want to see if their music will be picked up by groups elsewhere in Scotland and the UK.
The five piece band are producing self-penned music which was evaluated and then subsequently adopted last December by NHS Tayside.
It is now being used as a formal memory stimulus therapy for inclusion in the individual care plans of people suffering from dementia.
The music, songs and videos are written and produced by the band and focus on Dundee's culture and history of the 50's, 60's and 70's.
The sometimes hilarious songs include lines using local vernacular such as: “Charisma, charm an loads o’ dough, cos he drapped the puggie at the Black Watch Clubbie, he’s the Stobie Valentino.”
And based on the feedback they’ve received from experts the therapy model can easily be localised and adapted to suit dementia patients from all areas across Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Band member Ian Kennedy said he was delighted to get involved in the project, run by NHS Tayside Lead Occupational Therapist, Donna Macintosh.
He told Dundee Live: “You'd be forgiven for thinking that in March 2020 music stopped but it opened a door for us.
“As the world slowed down a bunch of old guys got a chance to catch up. That was our cue to begin writing and recording songs.
"We had to learn new skills in exchanging music on the net, sharing video and overcoming our naivety on all things digital.
“It was therapeutic for us so it was probably natural that others would also find it that way, although we never saw Donna's initiative coming.
“As Donna's work is aimed at patients of our age who have shared our experiences it's a natural fit.”
Donna said the music is having some amazing results.
She told us: “Once I heard The Doolichters music I immediately felt it had the potential to help my patient group. I was grateful that they kindly agreed to work with me, and our patients, to develop and use videos and CDs containing their music.
“The aim was to develop a sensory reminiscence project, which would improve patient care and create a meaningful person-centred activity.
"Activity workers, occupational therapy colleagues and myself came together to create sensory boxes for each song, which contains items to stimulate all five senses.
“The project has allowed us to gather feedback from our patients on subjects we may not have otherwise discussed. This has led to increased participation, laughter and spontaneous communication, all of which improve our patient’s quality of life.
“It was clear that for the period of time they were with us that activities with these materials improved their cognition and mood.
"Many of the patients recollected the session as it had made an emotional memory and they asked for the next session.
"It was also lovely to see each patient spark another memory for someone else or enter into a dialogue about a related topic.
“The project is a work in progress and we are adding materials all the time and hope to finalise our boxes by the spring.”
-You can see two more of the Doolichters' songs here and here.
For more info on the band and their work with the NHS visit their Facebook page here.
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