WATCH: Children sing songs for QA Hospital patients

Youngsters visited the geriatric department at the Cosham site to perform nursery rhymes and play instruments.

The visit was part of staff’s effort to increase activities for their memory lane day centre which is for patients with dementia.

Around eight children from Little Peoples Nursery, in Drayton, went to the hospital this afternoon.

Four-year-old Monty Davenport said: ‘I liked singing the songs like Baa Baa Black Sheep and the alphabet, that was my favourite.

‘I liked playing with the music toys and singing in front of people.’

Jake Harding, aged four, added: ‘We went on the bus which was fun.

‘Playing the musical instruments was fun too. I liked singing Baa Baa Black Sheep.’

The visit from the nursery was just one of the activities started by the ward staff.

Others include pet therapy, arts and crafts and music therapy.

Kerry Budd, operational manager for medicine and older persons rehabilitation and stroke, said: ‘This is a really important initiative which we have started.

‘We are trying to relaunch the memory lane with these different activities and we hope the nursery visit will become a regular thing.

‘We know it has benefits for the patients and they enjoyed it.’

Kerry organised the nursery coming into the hospital with staff nurse Emily Oliver.

Emily said: ‘The patients really loved the visit and it got them out of the hospital setting and normalises things for them.

‘From what we can see, it has been really beneficial.’

Hannah Povey, manager of Little Peoples Nursery, welcomed the visit and said it had benefits for the children too.

‘This is a really lovely idea,’ she said.

‘The children have been excited to come up to the hospital and sing for the patients.

‘There is a lot of good work being done with the scheme and we were keen to support it.

‘It engages both age groups and the kids loved singing and performing.

‘I think it has also helped with the children’s confident as they are singing for people they don’t know.’