BAPAM. Who?

At my last branch meeting, it was clear that there are a lot of performers who still don’t know about BAPAM, even though Equity gives money to support them and they do a great job.

BAPAM stands for British Association for Performing Arts Medicine. They were previously called the British Performing Arts Medicine Trust, but BPAMT isn’t quite such a punchy acronym. There’s no sense me repeating what they do: go to their website and have a read.

What I can say is that I’ve experienced what they do, and it’s refreshing to be able to talk with someone who understands performers’ concerns and priorities. In my case, an iffy shoulder from a badly-judged fall works perfectly well, but makes itself felt slightly more than the rest of my body, so I don’t feel totally anatomically ‘balanced’. Try telling that to many a GP.

Nor are they confined to physical health: they also provide psychological services. Stress and depression are increasingly being recognised and discussed in the mainstream, but BAPAM recognise how this can be a particularly stressful industry in which to work. They also recognise that the work often draws on a range of mental and emotional resources, as well as the physical, so can help ensure a fully-rounded sense of being ‘fit for work’.

So, that’s BAPAM. If you don’t need them now, you might in future: www.bapam.org.uk

Posted via email from Illusions and Reflections