Singing Heart to Heart

It was the Thursday before Easter Sunday and I was with friends. My friends are the residents of Traverse Manor where I have been singing every week for over 5 years. Most are in their 80s and 90s with a…

Do you ever get a little bored singing the same old songs? Come on, you can admit it. But we do it anyway don’t we? We do it because we know that for people living with dementia, there is comfort…

Helen is intuitive, creative, caring, and smart. She’s the Life Enrichment Coordinator for a cluster of small memory care homes where she has just been given a beginning budget to implement a comprehensive music program. She and I begin talking…

Margie’s gruff and gravely voice called out from her favorite corner where she carefully perched on the seat of her walker. Stooped and bent over, her arthritic hands were no longer able to hold the songbook she knew so well…

When I was 12 years old my mother wouldn’t let me to go to the junior high dances. She insisted that I wait until I was 13. Trust me, the months dragged on that year in seventh grade until my…

Were you fortunate enough to have a wonderful mother? I was. My mom and I were best friends. We had voices that matched perfectly and she taught me to sing. She and my dad loved to dance. Sadly, she passed…

Back in 1953 Harold Mertz was trying to sell magazines. 

He had salespeople going door to door. But it wasn’t very efficient. So Harold came up with the idea of mailing subscription offers to everyone. For the price of…

Jeanne from Vermont plays uke in a memory care residence. She suggested: Oh My Darling Clementine and the Battle Hymn of the Republic 
  
Cathy is an activity coordinator from North Ayrshire, Scotland. She added: My Bonnie Lies Over the…

I recently heard from Kim in Nova Scotia, who wrote:  
 

“I find with times changing and our residents coming to us from a different generation, the songs like “Working on the Railroad” and “Bicycle Built for Two” are not…

I am often asked “What are the best songs for a sing along?”  
  
That’s not as easy to answer as it may seem. There are personal preferences to consider, the mood in the room, and the energy level of…

As I played the first song for the folks in the adult day program I noticed a man in the front row whose hands were moving in time to the music. He looked like he was strumming an air guitar. 

Has anyone ever told you to “live in the moment?” Or “Be present.” 

Living in the moment takes on a whole new meaning for someone who is living with dementia. 

Here’s how Jolene Brackey describes it in her…