Choral singing therapy may lead to improved quality of life for stroke survivors

Singing
in a choir can improve the feelings of social isolation and low mood experienced
by stroke survivors with aphasia (communication difficulties) according to new
research from the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) and the
University of Auckland in New Zealand.

Reporting
in the journal
Disability and Rehabilitation, researchers found that
people with stroke and Parkinson’s disease perceived participating in choral
singing therapy as improving mood, language, breathing and voice problems, and
helped them to self-manage some of the consequences of their condition, including
social isolation, low mood and communication
difficulties.

Now
lead researcher, UWE Bristol’s Laura Fogg-Rogers, is to launch a choir in
Bristol this autumn.

The
Bristol Neurological Choir, based at UWE Glenside Campus, is a new free singing
and music group run by music therapists, speech language therapists and
musicians from the Centre for Performing Arts at UWE Bristol for people with
communication difficulties following a stroke. Singing experience is not needed
and carers and families are welcome too.

Laura
Fogg-Rogers (Science Communication Unit) explains, “People with aphasia can
often still sing, even when they can’t speak very well. Aphasia causes language
problems, but the areas which control speech in the brain are different to
those which control singing. It is really quite miraculous watching someone who
can’t speak burst into song when they possibly haven’t been able to communicate
for months or years.”

Ian Holmes, Director of the Centre for Performing Arts, said,
“We’re delighted to be involved with this wonderful project, to be able to give
something back to the community in Bristol. It’s really uplifting to see
the joy that people get from both the social and musical aspects of being
involved in a choir and we’re looking forward to making the Bristol
Neurological Choir a really supportive, relaxing and sociable experience for
all our new members, their carers and families.”

The
Bristol Neurological Choir will meet every Wednesday – 30 September to 2
December 2015 from 13.30 to 15.00 at
UWE Glenside Campus, Bristol (Room 1H16). A free
drop-in session for more information is available on Wednesday 23 September in
1H13, Glenside Campus.

Please
note that there are no parking restrictions at that time on a Wednesday and
spaces labelled NHS are available to use.

To
register your interest in the Bristol Neurological Choir, e-mail
[email protected] or telephone 0117 328 2067.