Member Article

bluebird sings sweet sweet music for dementia help

A Cramlington businessman who has spent all of his life looking after the needs of others has enlisted the help of a rock and roll star to help people suffering from dementia.

Bluebird Care (Northumberland South) offers domiciliary care, support and assistance for people who need help to allow them to continue living in their own home.

Wah started the business in 2013 after spending most of his working life in a fast moving, customer care contact centre. Prior to that he learned valuable customer service skills in his family’s retail business, which he has successfully transferred to Bluebird Care.

Based in the Apex Business Village in Cramlington, Wah’s team of 20 care workers provide a wide range of services that many of us take for granted but are essential in order to make his customers lives as normal as possible. These include preparing meals, cleaning, shopping, personal care and regular welfare checks.

Over the past year, the business has seen a marked rise in the number of customers who are affected by Dementia.

Dementia is a collective term for a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem solving or language. It is caused when diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease or a series of strokes, damage the brain.

“I decided to move into the care sector as I wanted to make a real difference to the lives of people living in South Northumberland,” said Wah. “We’ve been holding coffee mornings for our customers and we’ll be raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society by taking part in their memory walk at the Baltic in Gateshead later this month.

“We’ve also taken four of our customers to Beamish Open Air Museum where we were able to use one of the 1940’s houses for a group session with older people and people living with dementia. The

house was full of objects collected years ago, all of which were used and handled by our customers who reminisced and had fun guessing what they were used for.

“We’ve taken these steps to help our customers as we’ve noticed that we’re getting more and more enquiries from anxious families looking for help with the care and support of their loved ones who have been diagnosed with Dementia.

“It is anticipated that by 2021, more than 1 million people will be affected by the condition and research has shown that music has the power to unlock memories and help to generate meaningful conversations.”

To that end, Bluebird Care enlisted the help of Newbiggin rock and roll drummer Paul Hooper, a prominent figure in the music industry who has played thousands of venues all around the world with bands such as The Fortunes and lately Prelude.

At a special coffee afternoon at Newbiggin’s Maritime Centre, Paul gave a talk illustrated with music about his life on the road and in the studio during the 1960’s and 70’s. In it, he recalled playing on stage with ELO’s Jeff Lynne and George Harrison from The Beatles as well as demonstrating his drum playing.

“I was delighted to help relive happy memories for those people who have been diagnosed with this debilitating condition. Music is a great leveler and it was wonderful to chat with everyone about their personal memories of the swinging sixties and good old fashioned rock and roll,” said Mr. Hooper.

The company have a number of Dementia videos on their website which offer practical support and advice.

“I believe that good old fashioned service together with a constant drive to improve the quality of life for our customers are the best way to grow my business and initiatives like the musical workshop by Paul really hit the right note with everyone who attended,” said Wah. ENDS

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More information from Keith Newman Highlights PR 07814 397951

Bluebird Care Northumberland South

Unit 30

Apex Business Villiage

Annitsford

Cramlington

NE23 7BF

Phone:

0191 2502244 Email: northumberlandsouth@bluebirdcare.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Keith Newman .