In music therapy, Shannon plays songs that hopefully the clients will know, and she encourages them to sing or clap or whatever. Then after a song is played she will talk directly to the participants one on one and ask what the song reminds them of or how it makes them feel. To see the residents and my mom, who are usually stoic and silent, trying to sing and watch them get lost in the music is a truly beautiful thing. Most of the residents are like mom, they don't talk anymore, they can talk, their addled minds won't let them. But they can sing, yes, I've seen it first hand, they can sing. It is truly amazing to see.
I was late this day so one of the staff had already taken mom to the music room. As I entered the room mom cracked a smile, a real smile and loudly said "Hi Lisa". I knew it was going to be a good day.
Shannon plays songs that the participants would know. Frank Sinatra, Hank Williams, Bing Crosby etc, etc, and songs from their youth like Tipperary, Jelly Roll Blues and My Bonnie. I didn't know the words to over half the songs but the others sure day. Like I said, it's amazing to watch. As I've gotten to know many of the residents on my mom's wing, the don't/can't speak and they can't remember their own names or ages or where they are but they can remember the words to songs and sing them and they haven't sung many of these songs for 50 years or more. Not my mom though, not this day, she didn't seem to know any of the words.
Mom is actually younger than many of the other residents. One of the ladies in her music therapy is 97 years old and the others are all in their late 80's. I don't think mom ever knew a lot of the songs. I watched her watch them sing and she gave most of them the squint eye. I wonder if mom is jealous. Here are these people, all older than her, they can all still walk and they were singing the songs and the look mom had for them was not a nice look. Things are still working in her brain and the fact that she did smile made me think that some of her frontal lobe must still be there because it seems to me that she feels a bit of emotion.
I felt sorry for her, so I quietly pulled Shannon aside and asked if she could play a song for my mom that I hoped mom would know, my mom and dad's wedding song. Shannon graciously agreed and joked that she takes requests. So Shannon played it and I watched my mom perk up because she knew the song and she knew the words and my God she sang them. Me of course, I cried.
Mom sang these words "Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go. You have made my life complete and I love you so..." And at the end of the song she said "Elvis". For those of you that don't know, my mom was a big Elvis fan. Her and Sylvia Manning had this big cry fest when he died and why do you think my name is Lisa-Marie. Elvis and Neil Diamond was about I she ever played when I was growing up. I love both Elvis and Neil Diamond and I'm not ashamed to say it and it's thanks to my mom.
Love me tender, love me true. All my dreams fulfilled. For my darlin' I love you and I always will. The king is not dead and neither is my mom.
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