Published on: 16 October 2023
Hits from Elvis to Oasis were played for patients as a band performed a gig to get them singing and dancing.
Bojangles Ukes, a Sunderland-based ukulele band, visited the Alexandra Centre at Sunderland Royal Hospital before the pandemic.
But their performance marks the return of their shows, with a group of inpatients invited to join in the gig.
It was organised by the Delirium and Dementia Outreach Team (DDOT) as one of many activities to help patients with their recovery.
Bojangles Ukes with patients and members of the DDOT Team at Sunderland Royal Hospital.
They are encouraged to chat, move and eat to help them build up their strength and lift their mood, all with a view to helping them be well enough to leave hospital care.
The visit by the ukulele group follows a recent visit by Kayley Cares Vintage Singer, who also got the patients singing and on their feet.
Research by Dementia UK says that music can help people with dementia develop and maintain relationships.
It can help them express their feelings, act as a prompt for reminiscing, encourages movement and interaction and reduce stress.
Andrea Lawson is one of the team’s Elder Life Specialist Practitioners.
She said:
"Patients with dementia really come alive when they listen to the music.
"We very rarely get live bands along to perform, but when we do, they really enjoy it. It was a real treat.
"It helps them remember what they did years ago. It just brings back great memories.
"We want to say a huge thank you to the Bojangles Ukes for coming to play, they were fantastic.
"The patients were singing along, had a little dance in their seats and were chatting about how they remembered going to the dance. It is just what we hoped for."
Bojangles Ukes performed songs including Bring Me Sunshine, made famous by Morecambe and Wise, Eight Days a Week and When I’m 64 by The Beatles, Sway by Dean Martin and (Let Me Be) Your Teddy Bear by Elvis Presley.
Patients and staff enjoy the Bojangles Ukes performance at the Alexandra Centre at Sunderland Royal Hospital.
Charlie Lally is the group’s musical director.
He said:
"We’re a group of people who enjoy playing the ukulele for other people and we want to raise a smile.
"The ukulele is a nice gentle instrument, quite uplifting to listen to. We know from the response we’ve had in places like this and when we’ve visited care homes that people enjoy a song and they often like to get up and have a dance.
"We like to see the audience singing along. They may not know the whole song but if they know a few of the words, that's great.
"If you see them tapping their fingers on the seat or moving their feet a little bit, or just rocking side to side, you know that you're getting the reaction from them, which is great for us."
