Playing music at Assisted Living and Nursing and Rehab Centers

During our time here in Bownwood, Texas, it seems a new chapter has opened up in our music world.  We have often played music at the Care Center that my dad lives at in Canton, New York in exchange for a place to park our motorhome when we visit (they'd probably let us park there whether we play or not)  but this season has been quite an eyeopener for us.

It started with my boredom and desire to learn some new songs, etc.  Janie was working at a care center called Songbird Lodge and early on I wandered in with my guitar and played some for the residents there.  As I walked around the area I noticed a plethora of care centers around so I contacted the closest ones,  Redstone Park, Brownwood Nursing and Rehab, Oak Ridge Manor, and Senior Care of Brownwood.  They all welcomed me to drop by on a regular basis.  Some asked me to fill out a background check and some didn't.  I worked with the respective Activity Directors to schedule a time to drop in each week.  These would become, for the most part, voluntary, non-paid (national currency) performances.  A few of the places, after I had visited for a while, worked out a way for me or Janie and me to play for some pay as well.   Very nice.

Before going into what the residents have taught me, I might also mention how I started playing weekly at Doc's Drugstore in Brownwood.  I was walking back from Redstone after playing there and I dropped into Doc's with my guitar on my back.  Tim there approached me and said, "This is the very first time someone walked in here with a guitar on their back."  I wound up playing a song or two there on the spot and they asked me to come back on Fridays to play for their lunch customers.  This then also turned into Mondays and Fridays.  Doc's has been fun, and the staff seem to enjoy the music as much as the customers.  At Doc's, I sold a few cds and played for tips and lunch, bringing in some money to help with our expenses.  Thanks be to Doc's.

Now to the subject.  I'm going to try to express what I've learned from these lovely residents. I think all of the lessons fall under the heading -Expectations-

The first lesson was Expectations in communication:   It's interesting to see how I react to the various levels of ability of the various residents.  Some seem to require a wheelchair, some not, some have use of one arm or hand, some both; some are missing legs.  Most have a different way to relating to people, many are much more direct than we're maybe used to in polite society.  Some don't seem to have expected verbal communication skills.  (I might mention that at one facility there's a man who reminds me a lot of the facial expressions my mom had during the later stages of her Alzheimer's Disease.  He was quiet all the time so I guess I expected that he didn't verbally communicate, however one day I spoke to him and he shocked me by speaking back, pretty much like a regular person.)

Second Lesson - Expectations in music:   As a musician, I want the audience to enjoy the music I perform. Of course I also want to personally enjoy the music I perform. Janie and I play lots of different kinds of music. There's this idea that going into a care center such as this that everyone will like (and only like) hits from the 40's or something like that, or Classic Country Hits, etc.  The truth is, that various individuals react differently to different songs.  Why would that be a surprise?  I can just play the music I like and I'll see positive reactions from different people each time.  Some like funny songs, some like gospel songs (a lot like gospel songs), some like to sing along, some like the old tunes, some like classic country, etc.  The idea that it's best to have a few songs that people seem to always like, but then just play what I like, they seem happy just having a change in pace and the idea that someone would take time out of their day to come and spend time with them.

Third Lesson - Therapy from music:  While doing this I decided to research a bit about music therapy and specifically the value of music in this setting.  I had noticed that people would roll into the hall sort of in their own bubble, not talking to each other and by the time they left, they might be having side conversations about music or about me or some other thing that I didn't know about, but they were talking to each other a little more at the end of the session.  Also  I like to talk with them and ask what they know about the songs, also I have a couple of quiz songs where they probably don't know the verse but do know the chorus.  I start with the verse and see if anyone can "name that tune".  Fun and a bit of a mind exercise.  I move around and look around a bit, noticing that their eyes follow me and sometimes follow my eyes.  (I'll smile and acknowledge someone who's singing along and many will look at that person too, netting a bit of a stretch.)  I like to intermingle the sing along songs with the ones they probably don't know, also I like to encourage them to listen to choruses of certain songs so they can learn them and sing along by the end. (I don't teach them the verses as I think it's better for them to listen, translate, and then sing the words.)  I confess I'm not a music therapist, but these are the things I notice, using some of my past training as a counselor to translate that learning to this activity.  One can find all kinds of benefits of listening to live music for people in residential settings including, sleep, attitude, overall outlook, relaxation, sociability, diet, and general health.

Finally, I'd like to comment on my observation regarding the wonderful lesson to be learned from watching the residents care for each other, how the staff cares for the residents, and how the residents care for the staff.  It's a very caring group.  Sometimes in the middle of the music I would notice a staff member noticing when a particular resident was enjoying a particular song, it was obvious the staff member was happy to see the resident happy,  I saw more mobile residents picking up discarded ice cream sandwich wrappers for residents in wheel chairs.  I noticed staff members sitting and talking and laughing with residents.  There were lots of examples and it was plainly evident that this environment creates an opportunity for caring like is rarely seen out on the highways and in other communities.

I'm very grateful for the opportunity to learn these lessons and spend some of my time playing music and singing songs with the people I've met over the past few months.