They are savvy singers in more ways than one.
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Well known musical director, choir leader and music educator Robyn Ryan OAM is helping one of her five singing groups learn new and familiar material, while adopting cognitive therapy techniques.
The group - Savvy Singers - boasts some 25 members and meets each Monday at the Tenison Wood Centre off Ocean Drive.
The movement techniques are included into the learning of some of their songs.
Mrs Ryan said she was invited to lead the Savvy Singers and thought it was a good opportunity to explore different techniques to overcome the onset of memory loss which can lead to dementia.
"This is a group of older people who sing together but who are concerned about losing some of their faculties through ageing," Mrs Ryan said.
"So this year I started to introduce cognitive therapy.
"I am not a medical person but the learning of challenging songs and familiar songs with the learning of hand, arm and leg movements might just assist us to ward off memory loss.
"Some people do sudoku puzzles or crosswords, but we are looking at the challenge in a different way - through singing songs.
"So we learn a song, memorise the words, add a variety of simple movements starting small and then increasing the level of difficulty as the first level is mastered.
"Members of the group do as much or as little as they want. Some stay seated others are happy to work standing - there is no right or wrong just a feeling of doing whatever you are able."
One member, 93-year-old Noreen McDonald first sang with her family around a wind-up gramophone.
"The science behind singing is in and it shows that the benefits are enormous," she said.
"Singing is good for a whole host of reasons, including releasing endorphins, and helping reduce anxiety, stress and dementia.
This is a lovely group of people; the vibrancy combines this group in a magical way. I think that is a fabulous thing to be involved with.
- Noreen McDonald
"This is a lovely group of people; the vibrancy combines this group in a magical way. I think that is a fabulous thing to be involved with.
"Coming here on a Monday sets me up for the week ahead. This is a very positive thing to do.
"Monday's a great day."
Mrs Ryan says about half the songs the group perform include body percussion movements.
"No matter what your mobility restrictions are remembering patterns can be done at any level and when combined with singing can be powerful, emotionally and physically.
"As a group, we are in the business of living an active healthy life and singing and moving is helping us achieve that.
"Everyone in the group loves to sing and everyone has embraced the inclusion of these therapeutic movements.
"We have also introduced aural activities which is proving a success story too," she said.
Savvy Singers is a singing group that performs concerts in Port Macquarie and meets at the Tennison Wood Centre on Mondays at noon. Everyone is welcome and for information contact Robyn 0407 007 993.
There are more than 400,000 people in Australia with dementia, according to Dementia Australia figures. Dementia is the single greatest cause of disability in the country for people aged 65 years and over.
It is the second leading cause of death in Australia.
September is Dementia Awareness Month.