New game aims to help with dementia
GOALS BY TOON STAR FEATURE IN ARCHIVED SOUNDS
COMMENTARY of Jackie Milburn scoring one of his two Wembley goals which won the FA Cup for Newcastle United against Blackpool in 1951 is being used to help people with dementia.
The recording is from a British Library Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project with Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM).
The project is dedicated to preserving sounds and is now being used in a new game in collaboration with health and care professionals at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to stimulate memories for individuals with dementia and brain injury.
Tyne & Wear Archives is acting as the North East and Yorkshire hub for the project and has preserved more than 10,000 sounds.
The Sounds Around game, which also employs imagery and interesting facts, stimulates conversations and unlocks memories.
Other sounds from the game include:
A circus-themed Fenwick’s Christmas window from 1986.
Newcastle Civic Centre’s carillon bells playing a Christmas carol medley, from December 1967.
The music of the Northumbrian pipes played by Kathryn Tickell.
The start and finish of the 1990 Great North Run, in Newcastle and South Shields.
There are also sounds of a dog barking, the sound of the tide, the sound of a brook, an owl hooting, a woodland in spring, a frog and a train leaving a station in 1965.
Sophie Mitchell, communities officer at TWAM, said: “It is a wonderful legacy of the Unlocking Our Sounds Heritage project that these preserved sounds can go on to help people and aid health professionals, enriching people’s lives and recovery.
“The groups who have trialled the game in North Tyneside have enjoyed it. The game is a product of our ongoing relationship with Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust which we’re hoping to develop further.”
Alexandra Pentelow, an occupational therapist at Northumbria Healthcare, said: “It was great to work on this project and share my experience of working with people with dementia, looking at how the game could be adapted to make it more engaging and user-friendly for this patient group.
“It was important to look at factors such as the colour and design of the game and also the practicalities like the volume, length and clarity of the clips.
“Due to the differing needs of people with dementia and the different stages people may be at, it was important that the game could be played flexibly to accommodate this.
“Playing the game with patients has sparked so many meaningful conversations where I have learned about their past and experiences which is so valuable in delivering the best patient care.”
Chandan Mahal, learning projects manager at the British Library, said: “Tyne & Wear Museums & Archives’ collaboration with health and care professionals in the North East shows how sound collections can be used to support wellbeing and mindfulness in a creative and inspiring way.”
The game also helps people with dementia to boost their mood, develop their confidence and have conversations about the world around them.
Game designer JUMP is a creative brand and digital agency based in the North East.
The game consists of 16 cards with images and text, a board and a sound playlist on Soundcloud.
By playing the sounds and matching them to an image on the card, participants can start conversations about different subjects.
Copies of Sounds Around will be available from TWAM for use by health and care professionals. Email benjamin.jones@twmuseums.org.uk