Tilney and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – working together to tackle dementia

As a part of our focus on the importance of planning for later life and our ongoing efforts to support those affected by dementia, Tilney is supporting Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and its award-winning work for people living with dementia.

Going beyond the concert hall

In addition to providing stunning performances and recordings to both national and international audiences, one of the core missions of the BSO is to extend its work ‘beyond the concert hall’.

‘The BSO has a long tradition of working with people living with dementia,’ says Lisa Tregale, Head of BSO Participate. ‘Over the last five years we’ve been developing our focus around this. Our dementia-friendly work ranges from projects specifically designed for those living with dementia to ensuring that our wider community events are accessible for everyone.’

The BSO performs for people living with dementia in hospitals, care homes and within the community. Initially starting out as a pilot project in 2015, the performances resulted in such a marked improvement to the quality of patients’ lives that the BSO now delivers regular sessions.

’As an instrumentalist, I see the need for live music in our hospitals. It creates a space for people to feel normal again without having to worry about language,’ says Neil Valentine, BSO Associate. ‘It creates connections between families and visitors. Atmospheres are transformed when a ward becomes a concert hall and everyone feels the change.’

Additionally, the BSO runs a series of relaxed afternoon concerts. When designing these sessions, the BSO worked closely with Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends initiative. These concerts allow those living with dementia the opportunity to enjoy a classical music concert in a relaxed and accessible environment.

This outstanding work was recognised by Alzheimer’s Society in 2017 when they named the BSO ‘Dementia Friendly Organisation of the Year’. ‘We would not be able to continue our ground-breaking work without the support from companies such as Tilney,’ Lisa remarks.

According to Mark Wilkins, Managing Partner of our Exeter office, ‘I used to follow the BSO when I lived in Bournemouth so for me, it’s fantastic to be able to support them.

‘As Tilney carries out a lot of work on later life financial planning and also works closely with Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends initiative, it seems only natural to support the BSO in this.’

Mark was immediately struck by the impact of these events. ‘I’ve been told there are often carers in tears, as some of their patients who had not spoken a word for years are now singing along to the music. Seeing this work in action restores your faith in humanity. I think they’re an inspirational organisation who I am extremely proud to be working with.’

Facing the music

In addition to the huge emotional upheaval caused by dementia, the financial impact can be devastating too. Despite this, we find that many people have not thought about how they would cope if dementia disrupted their life.

‘We never want to plan for the bad stuff because we never think it will happen to us,’ says Eliana Sydes, Financial Planner. ‘We’re all happy that we think we’re going to live longer and we’re now sort of expecting it. However, what’s really interesting is when I ask somebody how long they think they’re going to live, they often under-predict and I think the reason they do this is to avoid the dementia question.’

Thinking and talking about the prospect of dementia is difficult and while we are still able to help at the point of a dementia diagnosis, at Tilney we believe you should have these challenging discussions with your family before the tough times come along. ‘We want you to be confident that your money, your life and your family will survive after this point of disruption,’ Eliana continues, ‘so if you talk to us when the times are good, we can put in place the plans that need to happen if dementia enters yours or your family’s life.’

How we can help

The financial implications of dementia span everything from funding specialist care, to safeguarding the assets and wishes of those with dementia, to the day-to-day handling of money. Whether you need immediate and urgent help, are looking at different options or planning for the future, we can help.

We have financial planners who are specialists in helping people deal with dementia. They hold the Later Life Adviser Accreditation and follow a strict code of conduct from the Society of Later Life Advisers. Their qualifications are independently audited by the Financial & Legal Skills partnership, a Government body. Also, all of our staff have received dementia awareness training, so you can be sure that you and your loved ones are in safe hands from the very first contact.

For more information about the financial impact of dementia and how we can help, please call us on 020 7189 2400 or watch our video with Eliana here.

*Source: Alzheimer’s Society