Chair Aerobics and Rod Stewart

John is in his sixties and has dementia. He's a resident at Dove Close and I remembered him from my last visit and how he was a big Rod Stewart fan. 'Don't mention that!' said Doreen, another resident, but it was too late - he'd already launched into Maggie May. 'Maggie is the name of his wife' Doreen told me, 'and he sings it ALL the time.' John didn't want to join in with the group at first - he kept walking by with his frame and half-reciting a dirty limerick or a joke or just threw in a question or showed us a book (Bobby Robson's autobiography). In the end though he took a seat just as we were writing from a series of guided questions. So I took the seat next to him and wrote down his answers.

He told me much more than I asked - about watching Rod Stewart in concert all over the world, and how he worked for Ipswich Town FC in the promotions department in their late 1970s glory days. 'None of the players had new cars when I arrived' he said, 'within three weeks I'd got each one of them brand new models.' Bobby Robson, who was then the manager, mentioned him in his autobiography (which was why he had it with him - he was showing one of the other residents). 'A real gent' he told me. After Ipswich, John ran his own business - 'Corporate hospitality all over the world' before one of his clients, British Telecom, didn't pay him and he went bust. 'I'd still be in business if it wasn't for them.' I asked him what he enjoyed doing the most in his life? He laughed, 'I'd enjoy going to the Cambridge/Man Utd match!' before he thought for a moment and then said, 'chair aerobics.... that's the highlight of my week. I love it!' and laughed again and then told me exactly why.

CHAIR AEROBICS Tuesday mornings highlight of my week - Look up to the sky! Look out the window! The music they play The Beatles, The Monkees, The Faces Glad Rags and Petticoats I know all the words. Handbags and Glad Rags? I’m a lazy sod and it gets me off my backside John, Dove Close

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