Activity
our care homes. In the many care homes I have visited, the one thing I have noticed is that they all tend to be quiet – with just the TV playing in the background. I understand that there is a time for everything, but perhaps there should be a time in every day for good old-fashioned singalong? The question we often get asked is ‘What music should I use?’ Music is subjective and personal. My husband likes jazz – I hate it! Some people love Abba, some don’t. Some people like 60s music but everybody loves ‘Sweet Caroline’ – or do they? I remember taking a chair-based
exercise class in a care home I was visiting and a lady shouted out that she did not like ‘that’ music. That music was ‘She’ll be coming ’round the mountain’, which I thought, being the authority on chair-based exercise, was totally appropriate and a good singalong song. I asked her what music she would prefer. ‘Jim Morrison,’ she replied. I was shocked – this little old lady was into The Doors! But why wouldn’t she be? So I found ‘Light my fire’ on Spotify and away we went. I learned a lesson from my Jim Morrison
fan: we must not make assumptions. Many of our residents were in their teens and twenties in the roaring 1960s and 70s, so The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley and the Bay City Rollers might be a good start. What music you choose, as a facilitator, for these sessions may not be to your own taste but if it engages your residents and they are singing and clapping along then you are on the right track (excuse the pun). The answer is simple: find out what the residents like.
Exercise and music Exercise and music go hand in hand and there is a significant body of research on why exercise and music are such an effective pairing for so many people. During exercise, music distracts people from pain and fatigue, elevates mood, increases endurance, reduces
Newly trained LifeDock drum-based exercise leaders
perceived effort, and may even promote metabolic efficiency. When listening to music, people run further, bike longer, and swim faster than usual – often without realising it. In addition to this, and important to our demographic, evidence suggests that for elderly people, exercising to music has greater physical and cognitive benefits than exercising without music.
Of course, physical activity programmes within care homes come with a different focus – we are not necessarily looking to make people fitter, but rather promoting mobility, balance, cognitive function, and independence. Our goal is for people to live better for longer.
Exercise in disguise Many people who come on our courses are keen to learn fresh ideas for their existing physical activity programmes. When asked, they often say their sessions are boring. Let’s be honest, most of us do not like to exercise, and ‘boring’ exercise definitely does not inspire.
We make it a rule to never use the word ‘exercise’. ‘Exercise’ can scare our residents;
they may think it is going to hurt them, and it can bring back unpleasant memories of scary PE classes in school! The focus of our sessions is the whole person – physical, mental, emotional etc. We refer to our programmes as ‘exercise in disguise’. We encourage everyone involved in these types of activities to take the easy option. Music is the easiest way to help get our people moving. ‘Da Doo Ron Ron’ gets people tapping their feet, ‘Sweet Caroline’ has residents waving their arms in the air, and you never know what will happen when ‘Proud Mary’ comes on! By using music that gets people moving and singing, they do not even notice they are ‘exercising’. Exercise in disguise! In contrast to lively music, we use peaceful, calming music in our Tai Chi (Chi Me) and chair yoga programmes. Interestingly, the most common feedback on these sessions relate to the music and a sense of calm. In this instance, we do not ‘exercise’ to the music, but rather the music enhances the mind and body experience. The participants gently move and breathe with calming music in the background and experience magical moments.
Newly qualified chair based exercise leaders in Sheffield May 2023
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com
Finding a way to include everyone Recently, I was delivering a physical activity training programme to staff members of an organisation that provides support to people of all ages with disabilities and/or complex needs. One of the staff asked how a particular exercise could be adapted for ‘Jenny’, one of the ladies they support. To be honest, in that moment, I could not think of anything. So I suggested that ‘Jenny’ could sit and watch. The response from the staff member was ‘No, we need to find a way for everyone to be included’. And so, as a group, we
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