The wonderful folk at Mindcare YODA adding their voices
As we look back over the last 10 years, there’s a lot to think about.
….but probably the words that most readily spring to mind aren’t the ones we would have imagined when we started.
Warmth
Friendship.
Love.
None of which lend themselves to the usual metrics of evaluation. What’s the score on the love-ometer?
But we see it every day in our work with people with dementia.
So when I was asked to put together a piece of music celebrating DEEP, it was to this that I turned.
My main inspiration came from a Dementia Diary recorded by Dory, in which she reads from the wonderful “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: by Charlie Mackesy.
You can hear Dory’s Dementia Diary here:
These words in particular captured so perfectly what for me has been the most amazing thing about DEEP:
“Sometimes I feel lost,” said the boy.
“Me too,” said the mole. “But we love you and love brings you home”
“You fell, but I’ve got you,” said the horse.
“Everyone is a bit scared,” said the horse.
“But we are less scared together.
What beautiful words, especially:
“I’ve Got You”
It’s the support, encouragement, inspiration, solidarity, warmth, friendship and love between people with dementia that defines the very essence of DEEP for me. It’s been the most remarkable, largely unmeasurable, and absolutely uncontainable outcome of all.
It’s for this reason that ‘I’ve Got You’ become my inspiration, and working title for the music.
I’ve been working with Chris Norris and Paul Hitchmough to put together a musical celebration of DEEP.
They have both provided musical inspiration and the bedrock of the piece.
Not only that, but 80 individual people with dementia have also contributed with audio and video recordings of “I’ve got you’
Not only that but a mass meeting in Northern Ireland all saying it in perfect unison.
…..not only that but three singing groups have lent their lungs to the cause.
You can watch ‘I’ve Got You’ here:
Please share as much as you can….
Now where did I put my Love-ometer?
Steve Milton
Co-director, Innovations in Dementia
