John is a quiet soul, who prefers to stay in the background – usually at a piano and let his music do the talking.
Tag: singing
And a little child shall lead them
She toddled over to one of the residents, smiled and reached her hand out to grab her walker. It was as if she put a nickel in the older lady.
Have yourself a merry little memory
Don’t forget to also engage your emotions. If you include your feelings, you are more likely you are to remember something.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
Everywhere you go…. One of the wonderful things about this time of the year is that it is steeped in all the essential elements that help stir and awaken the areas in our brains that have to do with memory. Songs. After my Mama was unable to carry on a conversation or even speak, she…
“I’ll be me”, Glen Campbell’s Goodbye
“I am a lineman for the county, and I drive the main road.Searchin’ in the sun for another overload.I hear you singin’ in the wire,I can hear you through the whine, and the Wichita lineman is still on the line” If you began singing along while reading those words, then perhaps you were also one…
Sing, sing, singing the blues away
Are you feeling blue? Overwhelmed? Take heart – or take up singing. The almost magical affect music has on those suffering from dementia are well established, but what about those who care for them? Here’s some good news: I just read about a study that showed a wonderful side-benefit to music therapy. It seems that…
All for the Want of a Word
While feeding Mama her thickened juice today, I suddenly wanted to hear her voice. I wanted her to say something—anything. It has been several months since she has uttered a single word. I even tried to ask her some easy ‘yes’ questions to try to see if she would give me one of those automatic…
Jingles Trigger Fond Memories of the Good Old Days
Was your loved one raised on radio? Or TV? It’s likely that some of the jingles and theme songs played regularly on radio and television shows will be more than memorable. And anything that stirs a memory is helpful to activate something wonderful and pleasant inside your person.
Singing along
One of the most surprising discoveries we made in this adventure called “Caring for Mama”, was that the ability to sing does not decline at the same rate at other abilities – even talking. It could be, as my husband says that “Music does not reside in the brain, it lives in the soul.” That…