I’m sorry I have been absent from posting for several weeks. This is the first of three posts, being a compilation from our last five visits. (We missed Monday 18th March as that was Easter Monday.)
I’m a Ward Musician at a London hospital, chatting to elderly and dementia patients and playing patient's musical requests, using the Spotify App and a Bluetooth speaker. (I pair up with another volunteer who I refer to as Lucy. Additionally, in our last two visits, we have been joined by a new volunteer, following us to learn the ropes.) Are you all aboard? Then I’ll begin!
We normally start our tour at the far end of one ward and then thread our way back to the entrance. In that way we get a glimpse of patients who are asleep, awake, or preoccupied with doctors’ visits, and so we get an idea of who we might see. Or not! So, in bed number 1, has been an elderly Irishman by the name of John. He is a bit of a joker and regaled us with tales of Brendan Behan (“I’m a drinker with writing problems.”) and the novelist and playwright John B Keane, the latter writing a very funny book about Matchmaking, set in rural Ireland, where he followed exchanges of correspondence between men and women with occasional advice from the Matchmaker. I remember reading this book years ago, on a London underground train, having arrived back from a Wedding in Sligo, Ireland. I was so taken by the wit and humour that I missed my station by several stops.
A nurse was telling us how John had tricked her the previous week. She was concerned that he was lying at the edge of his bed, afraid he might fall off. So, she said to him, “What’s that space for?” “That’s for my wife” he replied. “And where is she now?” the nurse responded. He replied, “I kicked her out.”
Looking back in my notes, I see that we first visited this patient on the 14th of March. He had spoken to us about the comedian Benny Hill, and the antics at the end of his TV show where Benny was ‘fast-filmed’ chasing after scantily dressed ladies. Lucy and I agreed that would not be tolerated nowadays! But we still chuckle at Benny Hill’s mischievous smile and his twinkling mischievous eyes!
John was lying in bed when we first saw him and for some reason, I was drawn to the ring he was wearing. The design showed two hands clasped around a heart with a crown at the top of the heart. John said it was a Claddagh ring. He explained that when the heart faces inwards, it means the wearer is still married. But when he saw my colleague Lucy, he turned it around to show he was single. Of course, he was doing this for our amusement. He then assumed I was not married because I looked happy. Cheeky bugger! I laughed back at him and said, “yeah, I’m separated!”
John was ready to go home last Monday and was sitting in his armchair, looking well. I had played him a song by Joseph Locke, the Irish tenor, four weeks ago, but today he said, “I just need tranquillity.” He was preparing himself for going home. On another level, I guess there will be times when we too, prepare ourselves for “going home”. Hopefully, not just yet! Stay safe, and I will post again on Sunday.
