MEET BILL, OUR CHOIR MEMBER OF THE WEEK

People in our choir undoubtedly have busy lives sharing their time with family, colleagues, friends and acquaintances as they engage in activities ranging from work, hobbies, relaxing and just living.

I have chosen to spend some of my discretionary time singing with our choir not just because I enjoy it but also because of health benefits that are claimed for folk who are living with neurological conditions. I am 76 years old and have led a fairly hectic life as a husband, a father to three children and grandfather to 5 having had a career as a telecommunications engineer and consultant from which I retired 5 and a half years ago.

Around 9 years ago my GP advised me that I had Parkinson’s disease. This disease can have numerous impacts on some or even all of the following: bodily motor functions such as reaction times, balance, coordination, strength, stamina as well as speech. Parkinson’s can also cause wasting of muscles impacting some of the above functions which can impact the volume and projection of voice. There can also be cognitive decline to any extent with varying impacts on memory, mental agility and capability. There is no standard list of symptoms for Parkinson’s Disease and individuals can experience all or some of the above symptoms to any extent. As the symptoms above are not necessarily a definitive list, diagnosing the disease can be difficult.

What finally convinced my GP that I had Parkinson’s were changes in my handwriting and signature over many years. In my case I have found that singing has definitely helped me by improving control, loudness and projection of my voice – or at least lessening the impact of Parkinson’s. The same applies to clarity of speech, the ability to tune to a note and hold it, and in the control of breathing. And last but not least is that I really do enjoy singing and the companionship and friendship of the people in the Stonefields choir.