Brain Day 2013

Went to the Brain Day in Auckland again this year .  The theme was Your Creative Brain which I had hoped would give me inspiration to be more creative in the artistic field. 

Professor Richard Faull as usual gave an interesting talk on the wonders of the brain with its folds and areas which are affected in Parkinson's,and the research going on to make the most of this knowledge to prevent and cure, or at least,  alleviate symptoms.

I enjoyed Dr Clare McCann's lecture on communication disorders and music therapy, which has been shown to be especially beneficial to those who have had strokes.

The Celebration Choir performed in the following session, then a panel discussion followed in which a couple of us members discussed our reasons for joining the choir and why we keep going and along with our choir leader and music therapist, Alison Talmage and another helper, Wendy, answered questions from the floor.

I started going soon after it started up and a few months after being diagnosed. No auditions were needed and it was a very pleasant environment in which to sing all sorts of songs, some we remembered from the past, as well as new ones. We sang in parts which was especially challenging for me, hearing someone next to me singing one thing and having to sing something else without getting distracted. It is this difficulty that is part of the Parkinson's problem not being able to multitask as before. I find I can only concentrate on one thing at a time.

So the choir keeps symptoms at bay and they assert themselves later than they otherwise would, things like one's voice becoming quieter, a person with Parkinson's may slur their words somewhat, our faces may become a bit expressionless and we may look as though we are a bit bored, which may not be the case at all.

I reckon music therapy and singing in a choir helps with these things like having more expression in your face. It is good for concentration, memorising words, extending the range of volume and tone of your voice. Parkinson's people often find their social contact diminishes as time goes by and being in the choir has definite benefits socially. People feel more cheerful before, during and after and seems to have a flow-on effect in everyday life. Long may it last.

The last session of the day, The science of happiness by Dr Tony Fernando was of interest to me too and stressed all attainable sorts of things that ordinary people can aspire to and achieve. Things like practising gratitude, mindfulness and compassion, and avoiding negative thinking. It was a very uplifting note to end a very full and interesting day on.