Background/About
Malcolm began his journey in the field of activity provision for older people in September 2007 when he was invited to join the team at Everyday Miracles, a company run by Chris Harding, who later went on to develop the ‘Daily Sparkle’ reminiscence paper for people living with dementia. After gaining confidence and experience in delivering music-based activity sessions, he took the leap and went freelance, forming ‘Activ-age’, which saw him building his client base of care settings across Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset.
It was at this time that one of his former colleagues, the inimitable Tim Lloyd-Yeates, also branched out and founded the ‘Alive’ activities charity in Bristol, and in December 2010, they began discussing the idea of Malcolm joining the Alive team, an idea which came to fruition in March of 2011 when he became a regional manager for the charity.
Working as part of that small team not only enabled Malcolm to reach more care settings to deliver what were becoming recognised as highly effective activity sessions, but also gave him the opportunity to bring his own creative ideas together with those of Tim and they soon began to develop not only a wider range of activities but also started working on highly interactive training courses for care staff, supporting them to build on their ability to engage and connect with those in their care.
During his time with Alive, Malcolm also embarked on a number of successful projects with various partners, including the highly popular ‘Museums to You’ alongside the Russell-Cotes museum and art gallery in Bournemouth and a reminiscence project with the RNLI, which explored their ‘Forgotten Photographs’ collection as well as looking at the 200 year history of that amazing organisation.
Working in partnership with an amazing team at BUDI/ADRC at Bournemouth University, Malcolm was also instrumental in devising and delivering a project which explored the effectiveness of ‘off-the-shelf’ gaming and touchscreen technology when used in dementia care, and also led to another training program for carers. Malcolm also co-authored a paper which was published on the Sage Journals website, among others you can find the paper here – Perceived Barriers to the Use of Gaming Technology in Dementia Care.
After being invited to speak at the Dorset Activity Coordinators Forum, Malcolm was later invited to join forces with Partners in Care to lead these vibrant and informative meetings. Each month, care staff from across the county were invited to come together to share ideas and best practice in a supportive environment. These meetings proved to be very popular and continued for over five years before the pandemic brought them to an untimely end.
Activity Sessions
Over the years, Malcolm has built up a range of effective and enjoyable activity sessions for older people, and these sessions still serve as the foundation for much of his work, although after almost 20 years in the sector, many of his sessions are intuitive and evolve in response to the people he is working with in the moment.
Variety Hour
These interactive sessions offer a lively blend of cognitive and physical stimulation which give everyone plenty of opportunities to get involved to the level that they feel comfortable with. With different activities to suit everyone and music from a broad range of genres, often chosen by the participants, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Biodanza
Biodanza is a movement-based system of personal and social integration first created by Professor Rolando Toro of Santiago, Chile in the 1960s. Having trained between 2008 and 2012 as a teacher of Biodanza, Malcolm has been using an adapted version of this comprehensive system with care home groups since 2013 to great effect. These sessions are designed for seated groups but there are always opportunities for those with more mobility to get up and dance too.
Reminiscence/Lifestory
Reminiscence is so much more than just nostalgia for days gone by. By exploring the lives of those we care for, we are better able to understand their needs and their wishes and can help them to create more fulfilling lives. These sessions can help to build rapport between residents and staff and often uncover some amazing stories that might otherwise go untold.
Life Music
After training with Rod Paton the creator of Life Music, Malcolm began leading these playfully creative sessions in care settings. Life Music celebrates the innate capacity of people to create music, no matter where they may be on their journey and invites participants to contribute in whichever way feels right for them in the moment.
Poetry
Although these spontaneous group poetry sessions are all about the process rather than the finished article, they often yield very surprising results. Using imagery and reminiscence to inspire the participants, we embark on an interactive journey into a variety of themes to create simple but effective poems about life, love and, well… everything.
‘Work’ by the residents of Abbey Rose, Dorset
Moan we may
But work we must
Brooms to sweep
And dust to dust
Homes to be cleaned
And clothes to be mended
It fills our days
Not what we intended
So moan we may
But work we must
But it’s so much more
Than just earning a crust
Whether teaching a class
Or tending the sick
Cutting and styling
Or laying a brick
A problem shared
A story told
An ear to lend
Or a hand to hold
Our work is more
Than just getting paid
We should never forget
The difference we made.
Memory Jukebox
By simply connecting an iPad to a projector or TV, we can take groups on a journey through their favourite musical memories. Using apps like Youtube gives us access to almost unlimited music videos or movie clips which can be shared with a group who then have the opportunity to share and discuss their own experiences.
Training
During his time at Alive, Malcolm helped devise, develop and deliver their extensive training and coaching programme. From half day training sessions to the highly successful coaching and mentoring programme, these training courses were always popular and very well received. Malcolm has continued to develop his own training sessions which can be tailored to suit individual care settings and the needs of their staff and, of course, residents.
Topics which can be covered include:
For more information or to book a course, please email malcolm@ethree.co.uk or call 07896 905305
