FLAMBOLIC EVENTS IN THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT!

A goodly number of FiOP people attended a reception at the Scottish Parliament on 30^th October, to mark the launch of ‘To Absent Friends: A People’s Festival of Storytelling and Remembrance’. It was a very pleasant event indeed, safe in the calm and creative hands of Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief. Mark Hazlewood, Chief Exec of that small but exquisitely formed organisation, chaired the day. His talk is on the Age Scotland blog  (link https://agescotland.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/to-absent-friends-a-peoples-festival-of-storytelling-and-remembrance/ )

Mark coined a new term that day – ‘flambolic’. He was talking about the Mexican Day of the Dead, and I think it just came out wrong but I bet it sticks. What a great word! I will use it regularly.

As well as Mark’s entertaining and informative talk, we were treated to an exhibition of photos by Colin Gray (currently on display at the North Edinburgh Arts Centre) - http://www.northedinburgharts.co.uk/exhibitions.php ) which gave a quirky and moving account of family life with his late parents.

Then, straight from the poet’s mouth, we heard ‘A Recipe for Whisky’ by Ron Butlin, - currently on the Scottish Poetry Library website here (http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poetry/poems/recipe-whisky ). The first line – ‘Wring the Scottish rain clouds dry…’ sets up a beautifully understated Scottish metaphor for grief, and ends in another Scottish expression – ‘Another glass for absent friends. Pour/ until the bottle’s done./ Here’s life! Here’s courage to go on!’

Finally we were invited to write messages on pennants to remember people we had lost. A photographer was on hand to catch the moment and as my photo has been sent to us, and is a million times better than any photos I ever take, we’re including it here. This is me, toasting my absent friend Tillie.

Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief have been using this method for a while of enabling people to speak/write their loss, and I’ve seen displays of these and found them very moving. But this was the first time I had ever made my own pennant, and I have to say it was a very satisfying experience. As the old saying goes – ‘We don’t get over our losses by forgetting people: we get over by remembering them.’

On 18^th November, our associate Joan Adam and I are running a day event in Edinburgh on Understanding Grief and Loss, aimed primarily at pastoral visitors. I believe we still have a few places available so do get in touch if you fancy it. We will strive for the flambolic, but it may just end up shambuoyant!

Singing For Joy

We were treated to a great post-lunch waker-upper at the recent Arts in Care Seminar. Debra Salem, a folk-and-blues singer (see http://debrasalem.com/page6.htm and click the juke box symbol for a blast of her fabulous voice) addressed the 100+ audience. ‘We’re going to sing together,’ she said, ‘let it all hang out!’ And I must confess that I had an inner cringe. But I was completely wrong. We went through some puffing and blowing exercises and soon were belting it out – all together, in rounds, and then, amazingly, in harmony – all within a 15 minute time slot!

Just before lunch, Margaret Meagher, from Arts and Health Australia, had extolled the virtues of singing and quoted an article in the Independent newspaper a few years ago which claimed that there are now more community choirs in the UK than fish and chip shops!

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/the-choral-cure-1864774.html

FiOP runs courses on worshipping with people with dementia, on which our inspiring associates Mary Moffett and Sue Kirkbride remind us again and again that music is a great way of helping people with advanced dementia to reach joyfully back into their sense of themselves and of God. And we hear frequent tales of delight from Alzheimer Scotland’s choirs for people with early onset dementia. Maybe we should have a singing day … ‘getting in touch with your inner Maria Callas / Proclaimers / Petula Clark’ … any takers?

Proceed till apprehended!

On 14^th October, the Arts in Care conference was held in Perth Concert Hall. It was an excellent event, run jointly by Animate and Scottish Care and chaired with a light but efficient touch by Sally Magnusson. The keynote speeches were excellent and very heartening – with a general message that care homes should be ‘a creative place to live – not a place to be detained until you die’ (Ranald Mair). 

Anne Hendry from JIT spoke about the Active and Healthy Ageing Action Plan and the various well-known benefits of activity and participation for older people. It was gratifying that she referred to FiOP three or four times in her account of how JIT supports creative approaches to ageing!

During the question session, Sally Magnusson asked her what barriers might prevent a full adoption of arts in care homes, and without hesitation Anne Hendry replied ‘risk and the perception of risk’. As our followers will know, we recently organised a workshop on Risk and Resilience (see our earlier post), and clearly this was a subject which chimed with the audience. A debate ensued on the perils of risk-aversity (is that a word? I’ve just coined it!) with reference to ageism and disempowerment. The message from the Joint Improvement Team, I’m delighted to report, is ‘take the risk and proceed till apprehended! Seek absolution, not permission.’ Amen to that.