Eastern general research concert

 Research concert

Date:  Thur 4 September
Time:  2.30 pm
Venue: Findlay House
Eastern General Hospital

About the concert: todays concert was based at Edinburgh Findlay House. I took the same approach as I did with Whitdale care home clients and I found the results to be very similar. I based the theme on a round the world and Love. The round the world part came from telling the audience that we were doing songs from America Ireland, England and Scotland. The guests seemed to like this approach and before I knew it the staff were starting to come and join in.

Verbal content and clarity: Not a lot of involvement until the staff came on board, but this soon changed with a little encouragement. I always try to speak clearly and state my purpose so everyone knows what to expect. I think this is an important point.

Vocalization of residents: It took a while to get going but I keep the music upbeat and I started to see more and more staff members come in, as they wanted to know what was going on. I got a good feeling from this as I it proved I was doing something right.

Eye Contact: It was difficult at first but as we started gathering momentum, more heads would rise and more interaction started to lift the mood up to a real high point.

Facial Expressions: Smiles galore in this concert, lots of real positive facial signs which was an indication to me from the less able in the group that I had been accepted and was bringing joy.

Body Posture: First impression where that this could be a difficult concert due to the fact that everyone was a little slumped and lifeless looking. However by the end it seemed like it was a different group.

Movement: I have noticed that through the performances the client become animated and respond, they join in and they seem to be able to converse clearer. I’m interested and excited as to how this is all going to come together.

On-going evaluation: Feedback was superb and one of the clients said i sounded like Bryan Adams, which I just loved. It wasn't long before the staff were getting the clients up and dancing with them and this showed me how important it is to get the staff on board. 

There was one guest that came into the room to visit her father and when she saw his reaction to the music she started to cry. I was a little disturbed by this, as I didn't know what was going on. I later found out that it was because she hadn't seen a reaction like this in a while. The music apparently brought something out in him and he started to react.