The Emerald Island Discs project is the brainchild of Richard Lucas, an Irish man living with dementia in London. Emerald Island Discs is based on BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs where celebrities are asked to select eight discs to take with them to an imaginary desert island. They also take their favourite book, a luxury item and are given the complete works of Shakespeare and the Bible.
The Emerald Island Discs project is particularly relevant for Irish people with dementia. Music has been shown to evoke memories and emotions and calm people even in the later stages of dementia. It reaches beyond the disease, tapping into the person’s sense of self, making links with life events, personal and cultural identity as well as being enjoyable and comforting in a world which is often confusing. Although the name Emerald Island Discs suggests that people will choose Irish songs, music and poetry, many Irish people will have different preferences which relate to their individual musical taste, life experiences or a place and time.
The project, led by Richard and supported through the Cuimhne City Bridge project, will bring a group of ten people together to share the memories they associate with chosen tunes or songs. The stories will be recorded and the music collated on CD’s. The “luxury” item will be an engraved memory box in which to store the CDs, a favourite book or other objects such as photos or personal memorabilia. The memory box with its CDs and memorabilia will be a key to the life–story of the person with dementia. It will be comforting for the person with dementia to be able to listen to the music, look at the photos or handle the memorable objects when they feel lonely. The family, care staff or volunteers can use the CDs or memorabilia to evoke memories which stimulate conversation or provide a comforting, calming interlude to allay anxiety or boredom. The music and the items in the memory box afford care staff the opportunity to get to know the person beyond the dementia so that care can be person centred and culturally appropriate. The Memory box also serves as a gift to families to pass down through generations.
This project is generously funded by Sisters of Mercy Union.
Richard Lucas
Richard was an electrician who spent most of his working life as a Union representative advocating on behalf of his members. He was a local councillor in Bexley for 16 years with a keen interest in environmental issues. He served on London Flood Defence as well as London Fire and Civil Defence Authority. He had a stroke in 2000 which left him with impaired vision, reduced mobility and cognitive issues. He recovered sufficiently to make valuable contribution in the local debate on services for the disabled until retiring in 2006. He attends the Irish Community Services ‘Happy Days’ and various lunch clubs. He has recently been diagnosed with Dementia and is happy to serve on Cuimhne Project Steering Group.
For more information about Emerald Island Discs please contact Charlotte Curran by email ccurran@irishinbritain.org or Tel 07795 677 475
