Monday Evening, December 30, 2013.....its windy and cold out there tonight, but after all it's the end of the year, so not unexpected
So I wanted to Blog about my Lady friend. This week's Therapeutic Harping has had some new challenges and on top of that, my Lady is sick with the upper respiratory flu. That alone is cause to worry as her Immune System is compromised to begin with and then you add this virus to it and she is a very sick Lady. Now, having said that, she is also a very strong-willed Lady and I think she will fight with everything she has to kick this.
I had to write about the Priest coming in today to give the Anointment of the Sick to my Lady. I am not Catholic, but I know a few things about the Catholic Faith since I have worked for the Catholic Church for several years, which includes 2 Priests. I am not one to hold back on the questions, so I asked many and got some pretty cool answers too! I had read some of the Prayers from the Prayer Book sitting around the Rectory and they are comforting and pretty straight forward. I was ready to witness this Rite that was about to be given.
When the Priest walked in, I was playing the Harp, to which he said, "how very nice". So I introduced myself and asked how he was to which he replied, "I'm good, I'll have what you're wearing". I cracked up because he was pointing to my Face Mask. He asked where he could get one and I told him I had one left and it would be the "right" thing to do by giving it to him. Ok...a good chuckle for sure. I asked if I should leave and he replied, "not unless it will make you uncomfortable". Ok, great I am staying. I told him my Lady could hear him and would understand he was there, so he moved closer and spoke so beautifully to her. I guess I expected something a bit more "somber" but instead he was upbeat and cheerful. When he was done and we closed with the Lord''s Prayer (her favorite) he was like, "ok you are good to go now!" I just smiled after he left, thinking how wonderful life is.....so I played "It's a Wonderful World" on the Harp.
I'm going to back up the afternoon a bit and write about when I first got there. I noticed her breathing was VERY slow and they had put her on Oxygen. Hummmm, this is where I have to go back and starting planning my tunes. Most of what I play for her is upbeat, familiar tunes with a Pulse Tempo of about 75-80, but it didn't seem right today so I started with Unfamiliar, 60 BPM and stayed with that for about 40 minutes. Most of this time she was sleeping, but when she woke, she engaged and smiled. She was very aware of my being there and slowly I changed my tunes to 75BPM and switched over to some of her favorite familiar tunes.
So here is a new challenge for Therapeutic Harping in a 2-Patient Room....her Roommate BLARES her TV at top volume....it's that simple. It is so annoying and she is fighting her own battles so you can't be angry with her. It is so distracting for me and I am sure most of the time she was in the room my Lady can not hear the Harp. The good news is the Roommate can hop in her power-chair and scoot herself out of the room....so as soon as she would leave, I would turn off her TV..10 min later she was back, louder than ever. I don't know what the solution is. I am not normally in that room with my Lady, I take her to the Dining Room or the Day Room but with her being so sick, she can't leave her room. I guess the Musician in me comes out when I change keys to the whatever is playing on her roommate's TV....in 10 minutes I played in 3 different keys, LOL So I think in order to get along in this wonderful world we live in, we must adapt and make adjustments which is exactly what I did!
Monday, December 30, 2013
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Be good to Yourself, Listen to Music
Thursday Evening, December 26, 2013....cold night with a crisp wind...burrrr I'm gonna bundle up and take the Dogs for a walk...but first
Tonight is the first time in almost 3 weeks that I actually sat and not only played my Harp but enjoyed it. Last Friday, after a 2 week Flu I went to Long-term Nursing Facility and the following day I came down with either food poisoning or a stomach flu....5 days later I can say I feel pretty good and food is starting to look appetizing.
I have not seen my Lady in 3 weeks. I dare not have gone with the Upper Respiratory Flu which lasted 2 weeks and then, bam the other crud. I was thinking last night how much I miss her and how worried I have been that she might not understand that I've been sick. I worry that she may think I won't be back to see her and play music for her. Music is all she has. I am scheduled to be there Sunday and Monday but I got this gut-wrenching email from one of her Daughters this morning describing her decline since I haven't been there. The entire family has concerns, as she is mostly sleeping and once again, slipping away from them.
Not that Therapeutic Music needs validating, as it speaks for itself, but it is exactly as I feared. She has had no stimulation, no vibration, no memory recall. I am going tomorrow as well as Sunday and Monday and I am a little nervous because the Intestinal Flu has hit the Facility and they are in "lock-down" mode for each Unit. No one leaves, no programs, no walks, all meals are brought to the rooms. This is common procedure to help contain the Virus and keep it from spreading to other Residents.
Tonight I bought some Masks to wear and I will have my wipes to wipe down my Harp and anything else that comes into contact with the floor, walls or Residents. Not much else to be done, I am so hoping my Resistance is back up and strong.
I feel stronger after playing my Harp for 2 hours. I spent the first 30 minutes just playing one string at a time, allowing it to die out before playing another one. I had my ear on the wood and the vibrations go all through my body. Did you know that we have a wandering Nerve called the Vagus Nerve that meanders through our body to our abdominal cavity and it's job is to regulate all kinds of Organs? This is directly related to the ear....and sound...and vibrations......Vibrations affect the entire body.
Here is another interesting fact, did you know we can now look at cells that receive vibrations and a Healthy Cell will expand and contract when receiving vibrations, but a Cancerous Cell will explode. There is no elasticity in an unhealthy Cell.
So be good to yourself, listen to good music. Let your body relax and feel the vibrations. Try to expose yourself to live music as much as possible......better yet, learn to play an Instrument. It's good for your body and your brain.
Tonight is the first time in almost 3 weeks that I actually sat and not only played my Harp but enjoyed it. Last Friday, after a 2 week Flu I went to Long-term Nursing Facility and the following day I came down with either food poisoning or a stomach flu....5 days later I can say I feel pretty good and food is starting to look appetizing.
I have not seen my Lady in 3 weeks. I dare not have gone with the Upper Respiratory Flu which lasted 2 weeks and then, bam the other crud. I was thinking last night how much I miss her and how worried I have been that she might not understand that I've been sick. I worry that she may think I won't be back to see her and play music for her. Music is all she has. I am scheduled to be there Sunday and Monday but I got this gut-wrenching email from one of her Daughters this morning describing her decline since I haven't been there. The entire family has concerns, as she is mostly sleeping and once again, slipping away from them.
Not that Therapeutic Music needs validating, as it speaks for itself, but it is exactly as I feared. She has had no stimulation, no vibration, no memory recall. I am going tomorrow as well as Sunday and Monday and I am a little nervous because the Intestinal Flu has hit the Facility and they are in "lock-down" mode for each Unit. No one leaves, no programs, no walks, all meals are brought to the rooms. This is common procedure to help contain the Virus and keep it from spreading to other Residents.
Tonight I bought some Masks to wear and I will have my wipes to wipe down my Harp and anything else that comes into contact with the floor, walls or Residents. Not much else to be done, I am so hoping my Resistance is back up and strong.
I feel stronger after playing my Harp for 2 hours. I spent the first 30 minutes just playing one string at a time, allowing it to die out before playing another one. I had my ear on the wood and the vibrations go all through my body. Did you know that we have a wandering Nerve called the Vagus Nerve that meanders through our body to our abdominal cavity and it's job is to regulate all kinds of Organs? This is directly related to the ear....and sound...and vibrations......Vibrations affect the entire body.
Here is another interesting fact, did you know we can now look at cells that receive vibrations and a Healthy Cell will expand and contract when receiving vibrations, but a Cancerous Cell will explode. There is no elasticity in an unhealthy Cell.
So be good to yourself, listen to good music. Let your body relax and feel the vibrations. Try to expose yourself to live music as much as possible......better yet, learn to play an Instrument. It's good for your body and your brain.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Inner Peace
Friday evening, December 20, 2013....it's like a beautiful Spring Evening outside tonight. Tad and I sat under the Deck just enjoying the warmish breezes.....Hard to believe Christmas is 5 days away
After being down with the Flu for a week or more, today I ventured out to the Long-Term Nursing Home where I did many of my Internship Hours. I haven't been to see my Patients since right before Thanksgiving, so I was not surprised to be greeted with a new list of Patients, as 3 former Patients that I just loved had passed on.
It's very hard for me to explain just how comfortable I feel in this setting. There is no apprehension, no time needed to get comfortable and adjust...I just slip into my role as a Therapeutic Musician and enjoy the ride. The Staff was very happy to see me today, which always puts a little Sunshine in your day. Today was the Christmas Party for the Residents and the Office Staff was making and serving Lunch to all the Residents. I was chuckling at the Admissions Director, as this was clearly a learning experience for him!
My first Patient was "Mrs. Cranky" and believe me, she was hollering and crying when I got off the elevator. A Nurse grabbed me and said, boy we need you down here...which was where I was headed anyway, lol I started with Christmas Music as she continued to ask for help and told me she was a prisoner in her chair. This continued on for 15 minutes and I decided to change up my music to Hymns and it seemed to work for a few minutes....she just whispered help instead of screaming...but she allowed herself a second-wind and after another 5 minutes she was screaming for me to get out. Today was not a day that Therapeutic Music was helpful to her. My heart goes out to her, as annoying as she was, it was a real fear. She did feel trapped, scared and called for her Mum a couple times. After some Meds and 1 1/2 hrs later, as I passed her room she was still at it.....heartbreaking
My next sweet patient was "the clapper". She claps after each song, smiling and dozing off every couple minutes. She is Palliative and loved the Christmas Music today. I tried to keep everything at a slow, pulse tempo. At one point her eyes were closed and her little fingers were going up and down on her chest. Peaceful
As I was playing for my next Patient, again Palliative Care, I had the most wonderful interaction with the Director of the Facility. She apologized for interrupting and introduced herself as the New Director. She said she received my letter of thanks for allowing me to do Internship Hours at the Facility and I told her it was so good to finally meet her. She said, "actually we have already had an encounter, you just didn't know it" and then went on to tell me that a few weeks ago as she was walking down the hall she saw a few Staff Members standing in a doorway so she walked down to see what was happening in the room. She said she stood there with the Staff and they all cried, as I played for Miss Sue...who had not responded to anything or anyone in months and there she was with her eyes open, moving her little foot to the music. It was wonderful for the Director to share this with me, we both got a little choked up, lol Then she asked me how I got started in Therapeutic Harping and a host of other questions, trying to get to know me better. There is a new facility opening up in February and I have been hired as a Therapeutic Musician starting then, but she asked me if I would play for the Open House as a resource for the Facility. I loved her approach, as she understood exactly how I felt..."I don't perform, but I would be happy to be in the background playing music for the guests". Perfect
From there I went to the Dayroom where 3 Patients were in wheelchairs, staring at nothing. One was a very young girl who suffered from an accident, one a very old woman and very crippled and one an older man with obvious brain trauma. I brought my Harp in and asked if they wanted some Christmas Music, the 2 women smiled so off we gooooooooo......I was trying to use the most familiar Christmas Music I could think of for memory recall and at one point I looked over at the older woman who just smiled the sweetest smile at me...just to raise her head enough to see me was such an effort. When I was done I asked the young girl if she liked the music and did she remember any words...she just smiled so I played Silent Night again and sang it to her....just a sweet smile but no communication. As I was leaving the room I heard her start singing! I didn't understand the words but she was clearly singing. I looked at the Nurse's Station and the Nurse was just smiling. Compassion
My sweet Miss Sue was asleep when I got to her room. Her roommate was sitting up enjoying her lunch. Miss Sue is the patient that the Director was talking about. I started to play a Christmas Song and the roommate said, "oh I am so lucky, I have Music with my lunch"...such a simple joy. Miss Sue woke up right away and listened with her eyes open...she stayed engaged the entire 30 minutes. Her Son, who comes everyday to feed her lunch, sat the last few minutes and listened and when each song was over he would rub her arm and say, 'isn't that beautiful Mom?" Devotion
My last two patients are my heart's delight. Mr. A asks the entire time I am playing, "does my Wife come to see me?" "Does she love me?" and Mr. N who doesn't eat much without my Music. The Staff was so happy to see me and Mr. N ate every bite of his lunch. The Christmas Music was very effective for Mr. A and memory recall. Today he remembered most of the words to the songs and told me him and his Mom would sing together while his Dad drove them in the Car. I took this opportunity of clarity to ask him more questions about his parents and the kinds of songs they liked to sing and he said, "our favorite song in the world was Springtime in the Rockies". So I told him I didn't know that one and he said, "just listen to me sing it and you will learn it with me" Sure enough, he remembered every word and was so tickled that I caught on. If just for a short time, he was back in the current world. Joyful
I will volunteer once a week until I am employed on February 1st....it is impossible to walk away from these beautiful souls. They really give me inner peace.
After being down with the Flu for a week or more, today I ventured out to the Long-Term Nursing Home where I did many of my Internship Hours. I haven't been to see my Patients since right before Thanksgiving, so I was not surprised to be greeted with a new list of Patients, as 3 former Patients that I just loved had passed on.
It's very hard for me to explain just how comfortable I feel in this setting. There is no apprehension, no time needed to get comfortable and adjust...I just slip into my role as a Therapeutic Musician and enjoy the ride. The Staff was very happy to see me today, which always puts a little Sunshine in your day. Today was the Christmas Party for the Residents and the Office Staff was making and serving Lunch to all the Residents. I was chuckling at the Admissions Director, as this was clearly a learning experience for him!
My first Patient was "Mrs. Cranky" and believe me, she was hollering and crying when I got off the elevator. A Nurse grabbed me and said, boy we need you down here...which was where I was headed anyway, lol I started with Christmas Music as she continued to ask for help and told me she was a prisoner in her chair. This continued on for 15 minutes and I decided to change up my music to Hymns and it seemed to work for a few minutes....she just whispered help instead of screaming...but she allowed herself a second-wind and after another 5 minutes she was screaming for me to get out. Today was not a day that Therapeutic Music was helpful to her. My heart goes out to her, as annoying as she was, it was a real fear. She did feel trapped, scared and called for her Mum a couple times. After some Meds and 1 1/2 hrs later, as I passed her room she was still at it.....heartbreaking
My next sweet patient was "the clapper". She claps after each song, smiling and dozing off every couple minutes. She is Palliative and loved the Christmas Music today. I tried to keep everything at a slow, pulse tempo. At one point her eyes were closed and her little fingers were going up and down on her chest. Peaceful
As I was playing for my next Patient, again Palliative Care, I had the most wonderful interaction with the Director of the Facility. She apologized for interrupting and introduced herself as the New Director. She said she received my letter of thanks for allowing me to do Internship Hours at the Facility and I told her it was so good to finally meet her. She said, "actually we have already had an encounter, you just didn't know it" and then went on to tell me that a few weeks ago as she was walking down the hall she saw a few Staff Members standing in a doorway so she walked down to see what was happening in the room. She said she stood there with the Staff and they all cried, as I played for Miss Sue...who had not responded to anything or anyone in months and there she was with her eyes open, moving her little foot to the music. It was wonderful for the Director to share this with me, we both got a little choked up, lol Then she asked me how I got started in Therapeutic Harping and a host of other questions, trying to get to know me better. There is a new facility opening up in February and I have been hired as a Therapeutic Musician starting then, but she asked me if I would play for the Open House as a resource for the Facility. I loved her approach, as she understood exactly how I felt..."I don't perform, but I would be happy to be in the background playing music for the guests". Perfect
From there I went to the Dayroom where 3 Patients were in wheelchairs, staring at nothing. One was a very young girl who suffered from an accident, one a very old woman and very crippled and one an older man with obvious brain trauma. I brought my Harp in and asked if they wanted some Christmas Music, the 2 women smiled so off we gooooooooo......I was trying to use the most familiar Christmas Music I could think of for memory recall and at one point I looked over at the older woman who just smiled the sweetest smile at me...just to raise her head enough to see me was such an effort. When I was done I asked the young girl if she liked the music and did she remember any words...she just smiled so I played Silent Night again and sang it to her....just a sweet smile but no communication. As I was leaving the room I heard her start singing! I didn't understand the words but she was clearly singing. I looked at the Nurse's Station and the Nurse was just smiling. Compassion
My sweet Miss Sue was asleep when I got to her room. Her roommate was sitting up enjoying her lunch. Miss Sue is the patient that the Director was talking about. I started to play a Christmas Song and the roommate said, "oh I am so lucky, I have Music with my lunch"...such a simple joy. Miss Sue woke up right away and listened with her eyes open...she stayed engaged the entire 30 minutes. Her Son, who comes everyday to feed her lunch, sat the last few minutes and listened and when each song was over he would rub her arm and say, 'isn't that beautiful Mom?" Devotion
My last two patients are my heart's delight. Mr. A asks the entire time I am playing, "does my Wife come to see me?" "Does she love me?" and Mr. N who doesn't eat much without my Music. The Staff was so happy to see me and Mr. N ate every bite of his lunch. The Christmas Music was very effective for Mr. A and memory recall. Today he remembered most of the words to the songs and told me him and his Mom would sing together while his Dad drove them in the Car. I took this opportunity of clarity to ask him more questions about his parents and the kinds of songs they liked to sing and he said, "our favorite song in the world was Springtime in the Rockies". So I told him I didn't know that one and he said, "just listen to me sing it and you will learn it with me" Sure enough, he remembered every word and was so tickled that I caught on. If just for a short time, he was back in the current world. Joyful
I will volunteer once a week until I am employed on February 1st....it is impossible to walk away from these beautiful souls. They really give me inner peace.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
She is a Friend like no other
Wednesday, December 11, 2013...it's really cold tonight and Tad is sick with the Flu....bummer
I haven't blogged much about my Lady Companion lately so I will put some thoughts down while they are fresh in my mind.
My Lady has Benson's Disease...a rare form of Alzheimer's. Very little is known about it so I joined a Group so I could learn more about it's progression and perhaps help the Family. This past week we all had quite a scare, as she developed Seizures. I knew when I went in on Monday that the Family was aware of them and she was having them often, but I was not prepared for what I saw. She was having them every 2 or 3 minutes, lasting about a minute. After they were over she would let out a sound, like she was exhausted and terrified. I just held her and told her I was there....I hate that she can't see and rarely can communicate. I think loosing those functions must be so scary for her and then to have these on top of all that....bummer for sure. I did contact the Family after about an hour and they came over to the Facility and scheduled tests and she is on new Medication.
Before the Family got there I took her back to her room where my Harp was and decided to try playing to calm her, thinking that may help reduce the Seizures. As soon as I started playing she had another one and after that....NONE...no more until the Family got there and I quit playing. It was about an hour with no Seizures. I wanted to do something different this time when I played for her. I started with just Open 5ths...up and down the Harp very slowly and softly. I did this for quite a long time and then I slowly added some melody notes and improvised a soft and gentle tune. I kept this at about 65BPM and slowly transitioned to Christmas Music.
What I love about the Harp is it's ability to calm...no matter what you decide to play. Some things are more effective, but if your Intention is correct, it works every time. It was a beautiful thing to watch the fear, tension and pain just leave her entire body. It was like I wrapped her up in a blanket. I guess it was the Blanket of Sound.
From what I have read, these Seizures are to be expected as the disease progresses. Hopefully the new Medication will keep them at bay...I did not see any today. She was alert and said "yes" and "ok" today, which is wonderful. I played my Harp in the Lobby and put her right in front of me so I could keep a good eye on her. She loves her Hymns and Christmas Carols and I think the Staff really appreciated the distraction. After my fingers tired out, I went to the Piano and played for another hour before taking her to her room for the evening. A full day of Music is what she deserves and I am happy to be the one to give her that Service.
It's an interesting friendship that I have with my Lady. She has never seen me...she knows my voice, my touch and my smell. We have built this love and trust relationship around Music and I have grown to love her so much. Her family is so grateful that Music has allowed her to say their names, respond to their questions and say I love you again, as they feared they had lost her forever. They thank me all the time and I appreciate their gratitude, but they have no idea what joy, laughter and love she gives me in return. She is a Friend like no other.
I haven't blogged much about my Lady Companion lately so I will put some thoughts down while they are fresh in my mind.
My Lady has Benson's Disease...a rare form of Alzheimer's. Very little is known about it so I joined a Group so I could learn more about it's progression and perhaps help the Family. This past week we all had quite a scare, as she developed Seizures. I knew when I went in on Monday that the Family was aware of them and she was having them often, but I was not prepared for what I saw. She was having them every 2 or 3 minutes, lasting about a minute. After they were over she would let out a sound, like she was exhausted and terrified. I just held her and told her I was there....I hate that she can't see and rarely can communicate. I think loosing those functions must be so scary for her and then to have these on top of all that....bummer for sure. I did contact the Family after about an hour and they came over to the Facility and scheduled tests and she is on new Medication.
Before the Family got there I took her back to her room where my Harp was and decided to try playing to calm her, thinking that may help reduce the Seizures. As soon as I started playing she had another one and after that....NONE...no more until the Family got there and I quit playing. It was about an hour with no Seizures. I wanted to do something different this time when I played for her. I started with just Open 5ths...up and down the Harp very slowly and softly. I did this for quite a long time and then I slowly added some melody notes and improvised a soft and gentle tune. I kept this at about 65BPM and slowly transitioned to Christmas Music.
What I love about the Harp is it's ability to calm...no matter what you decide to play. Some things are more effective, but if your Intention is correct, it works every time. It was a beautiful thing to watch the fear, tension and pain just leave her entire body. It was like I wrapped her up in a blanket. I guess it was the Blanket of Sound.
From what I have read, these Seizures are to be expected as the disease progresses. Hopefully the new Medication will keep them at bay...I did not see any today. She was alert and said "yes" and "ok" today, which is wonderful. I played my Harp in the Lobby and put her right in front of me so I could keep a good eye on her. She loves her Hymns and Christmas Carols and I think the Staff really appreciated the distraction. After my fingers tired out, I went to the Piano and played for another hour before taking her to her room for the evening. A full day of Music is what she deserves and I am happy to be the one to give her that Service.
It's an interesting friendship that I have with my Lady. She has never seen me...she knows my voice, my touch and my smell. We have built this love and trust relationship around Music and I have grown to love her so much. Her family is so grateful that Music has allowed her to say their names, respond to their questions and say I love you again, as they feared they had lost her forever. They thank me all the time and I appreciate their gratitude, but they have no idea what joy, laughter and love she gives me in return. She is a Friend like no other.
Monday, December 9, 2013
The Magic of Christmas
Monday, December 9, 2013....a cold evening and Snow tomorrow all day...I love snow
Oh where to start??? Today I decided to "volunteer" my time at my Lady's Facility where I have been doing Internship Hours. Since my Hours are complete and the Facility is "hiring me" I have not played for my Patients for 3 weeks. I couldn't stand it any longer, so many of them are so thrilled to have Bedside Music and the idea of them having nothing was more than I could bear.....so off I went early this morning.
First stop...in a previous blog posting I talked about a Patient that screamed profanities then entire time I played for her roommate. Well the Roommate was not there today, but the screaming patient was. So I came in and she said she didn't feel up to Music, to which her Daughter said, "We are leaving and this nice lady is here with her Harp, please listen to some Music". So "OK, just for a minute". 30 Minutes later and after she belted out most of the Christmas Carols, she asked me when I would be back and tole me I had a beautiful "Organ". ok...Harp/Organ....whatever......We are friends.
On to my Patient that loves her music and puts her bed in the reclining position as soon as I start to play. This Patient started crying and told me her roommate told her I wasn't coming back, but she new I would because I told her I would. Talk about feeling terrible....just terrible, but I am so glad I saw her today. She relaxed and told the Aide she needed Music more than Food, she would eat later. She loves her hymns and Christmas Music. She asked if I could come back tomorrow...oh how I wish I could.
Next is a beautiful lady, her roommate is never in her bed when I play for her, but today she was! After 15 minutes she asked me to stop playing, to leave and that I gave her a headache. I am trying to hold it together and my beautiful patient says, "oh no, I love having the Harp, don't go" to which the roommate says, "just get out". So what a dilemma .....I pulled the curtain around and moved my Harp next to the bedside of the beautiful patient and told her we needed to play ever so quiet...she giggled and said ok....another 15 minutes and not a peep out of her neighbor....when I left I thanked them both for listening to the Harp....hilarious
As I am leaving this Unit, I see 4 Patients in the Dayroom with their Lunch Trays. I decided to stop in and asked if they liked music. One Patient clapped his hands and one smiled. One was very interested in my Harp, one did not wake up. As I played, the patient that clapped his hands got very sad and started crying, talking about his "Daddy". I changed songs and played "God Bless America"...yep that was it...he started singing and clapping and one of the other Patients started laughing and clapping....amazing how the Memory works. From then on it was Patriotic. It was interesting to watch the memory recall...it kicked in near the end of the song and the second time around, they had the words. While I was playing a woman in her wheelchair came into the room and wheeled herself right up against the Harp. I stopped and said hello and she said "beautiful". She put her hand on my leg and rubbed my leg the entire time I played. Very touching and kind....it was like my Grandma sitting there listening, I loved it.
My last patients are 2 of the most lovely ladies and I get such a kick out of them. One is young and Terminal and one is Palliative Care and elderly. The young patient asked for hymns and Christmas songs to which she sang. She has a beautiful voice and when I was done she told me when she is sad and worried, Music lifts her up and could I please come more often. I choked on that one. The older patient can't usually remember the words but that doesn't stop her from singing.....she cracks me up and she closes her eyes and waves her hands all over the place. She clapped as I was leaving and told me she was so happy I was back from vacation.....gulp
So, the employment wheels turn slowly, but I know the effort is there, especially at this Facility. The Activities Director really does understand the value for the Patients....just lots of approvals etc. But until then, how can I ignore these people that so desperately need the Therapeutic Music and a warm body in their room to laugh with them. I am glad I went and of course I will go back...either as a Volunteer or Paid Therapeutic Musician....after all, it's the Magic of Christmas!
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
What am I Thankful for?
Wednesday, November 27, 2013....cold and rainy....a perfect November day
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. As I prepare my table and my home for family and friends, I can't help but reflect the year of 2013. My life is constantly changing with people coming and going and events morphing us all into a different people along the way. I think this is true for all of us and we get so busy we don't take the time to notice the changes, until there is a special joy or tragedy that jolts us into appreciating what we have.
I had a lovely lunch yesterday with a friend and colleague and to my surprise the Therapeutic Music Program at our local Medical Center is at risk. This is a program that has been created by one person alone, years in the making. She started a Foundation for funding and between herself and one other paid Therapeutic Musician, covered the Hospital alone, giving peace and healing to those who were sick, scared, recovering and dying. I have volunteered there for over a year, giving my time for free. How can such a large Facility turn it's back on something so important with such profound impact on the Patients they are there to serve? I am stunned that this Program may be out of funding and put on the shelf, shame on this Med Center for turning their backs to a Program that promotes healing. What will these caring, devoted Therapeutic Musicians be Thankful for?
So after lunch I drove to my Lady and had quite the scare. Her fancy wheelchair was sitting empty in the Day room? I thought, oh no she is still in bed and it's 1:30 in the afternoon. I walked into her room and her bed was empty and I had this sick feeling come over me....they have taken her to the Hospital. The Nursing Staff in her Unit all know me and I don't think they were at all surprised at my panic approach to them...."where is she?" So this very nice Nurse says, "oh Miss Jackie, she is getting her hair done!" Whew...what a relief and how exciting! As I enter the Beauty Shop, I am thankful for this sight....she is in a regular wheelchair with no neck support because they have to color, shampoo and cut her hair. When I told her she was going to look so beautiful, without speaking her entire face lit up...she knew and understood that the discomfort she was in was the price she would pay to feel like a beautiful women again.
Towards the end of her Hair Appt. I held her head in my hands to take the weight off of her neck. The Hairdresser and I were laughing so hard because every time she would get the blow dryer too close and too hot, I would say, "back up". When she was finished my Lady looked like a Million Dollars. It took 20 years off of her and even though she was exhausted and clearly in pain, she was so proud and thrilled. I told her she looked like "one hot mamma" and she just grinned and her eyes got teary.
While I was waiting for my Lady to get her coloring, I went into the Dining Room to play the piano but there was an exercise class going on. I don't think I can do the scene justice but I will try. There is a Resident that is 106. She trots herself in her wheelchair all around the Facility, just amazing. Her mind is sharp and she is always dressed to the 9's, complete with jewelry and her matching purse. The other Residents were all wheelchair bound with various levels of disabilities. There was music playing and they each had a set of 1lb weights. The employee instructing this group was just awesome. So patient and so much fun. I sat and watched as each resident tried their best to lift these weights.....1 lb.....imagine you not being able to lift 1 lb? At one point the 106 Resident, who is folded over in her wheelchair, stops and slowly turns to the right and places one of the weights on the table behind her.....forget that thing, I can only do 1 weight! LOL I just got so tickled, she was not messing with both of those weights!
In the middle of this class, in rolls my young guy that I now call my "Harper". A quick update on him, he has learned 4 Tunes on the Harp....by himself. I swear if I ever get any extra money I am going to buy him a small decent harp, one that sounds like something. Every time I hear him play that dinky harp I gave him, I cringe....it's terrible! But he keeps on plucking, amazing. So he rolls into the group and asks for 10lb weights and starts with all upper body exercises. After a few minutes he sees me across the room and just a huge grin and tries to wave to me with these weights in his hands....too funny and he drops them both! The 106 Resident says loud and clear, "? you need to work harder to hang onto those!" ok...I lost it. Now he is trying to explain that he didn't drop them because he was weak and she is saying, you need more work......priceless. What are these Residents Thankful for?
As I was leaving last night I took some pics with my phone and emailed them to my Lady's Daughters so they could see how beautiful she looked. I told my Lady again, how awesome her hair looked and that her husband was going to love it. I said goodnight and said I would see her in a few days and very clearly, but softly she spoke, "I want". So I leaned down and said, what do you want? She said, "Prayer". I have been saying the Lord's Prayer to her each night I left her and was about to leave without doing that. What is amazing is I have not heard her speak in weeks. It is such hard work and she has to push the words out with all her breath in a whisper. After I finished saying the Lord's Prayer with her she closed her eyes and just grinned.......it was like her telling me, "ok, you can go now" lol.....
what is my Lady Thankful for?
Being appreciated, being loved, being brave, being part of a community with compassion and people that can see past disabilities and short-comings... what am I Thankful for?
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. As I prepare my table and my home for family and friends, I can't help but reflect the year of 2013. My life is constantly changing with people coming and going and events morphing us all into a different people along the way. I think this is true for all of us and we get so busy we don't take the time to notice the changes, until there is a special joy or tragedy that jolts us into appreciating what we have.
I had a lovely lunch yesterday with a friend and colleague and to my surprise the Therapeutic Music Program at our local Medical Center is at risk. This is a program that has been created by one person alone, years in the making. She started a Foundation for funding and between herself and one other paid Therapeutic Musician, covered the Hospital alone, giving peace and healing to those who were sick, scared, recovering and dying. I have volunteered there for over a year, giving my time for free. How can such a large Facility turn it's back on something so important with such profound impact on the Patients they are there to serve? I am stunned that this Program may be out of funding and put on the shelf, shame on this Med Center for turning their backs to a Program that promotes healing. What will these caring, devoted Therapeutic Musicians be Thankful for?
So after lunch I drove to my Lady and had quite the scare. Her fancy wheelchair was sitting empty in the Day room? I thought, oh no she is still in bed and it's 1:30 in the afternoon. I walked into her room and her bed was empty and I had this sick feeling come over me....they have taken her to the Hospital. The Nursing Staff in her Unit all know me and I don't think they were at all surprised at my panic approach to them...."where is she?" So this very nice Nurse says, "oh Miss Jackie, she is getting her hair done!" Whew...what a relief and how exciting! As I enter the Beauty Shop, I am thankful for this sight....she is in a regular wheelchair with no neck support because they have to color, shampoo and cut her hair. When I told her she was going to look so beautiful, without speaking her entire face lit up...she knew and understood that the discomfort she was in was the price she would pay to feel like a beautiful women again.
Towards the end of her Hair Appt. I held her head in my hands to take the weight off of her neck. The Hairdresser and I were laughing so hard because every time she would get the blow dryer too close and too hot, I would say, "back up". When she was finished my Lady looked like a Million Dollars. It took 20 years off of her and even though she was exhausted and clearly in pain, she was so proud and thrilled. I told her she looked like "one hot mamma" and she just grinned and her eyes got teary.
While I was waiting for my Lady to get her coloring, I went into the Dining Room to play the piano but there was an exercise class going on. I don't think I can do the scene justice but I will try. There is a Resident that is 106. She trots herself in her wheelchair all around the Facility, just amazing. Her mind is sharp and she is always dressed to the 9's, complete with jewelry and her matching purse. The other Residents were all wheelchair bound with various levels of disabilities. There was music playing and they each had a set of 1lb weights. The employee instructing this group was just awesome. So patient and so much fun. I sat and watched as each resident tried their best to lift these weights.....1 lb.....imagine you not being able to lift 1 lb? At one point the 106 Resident, who is folded over in her wheelchair, stops and slowly turns to the right and places one of the weights on the table behind her.....forget that thing, I can only do 1 weight! LOL I just got so tickled, she was not messing with both of those weights!
In the middle of this class, in rolls my young guy that I now call my "Harper". A quick update on him, he has learned 4 Tunes on the Harp....by himself. I swear if I ever get any extra money I am going to buy him a small decent harp, one that sounds like something. Every time I hear him play that dinky harp I gave him, I cringe....it's terrible! But he keeps on plucking, amazing. So he rolls into the group and asks for 10lb weights and starts with all upper body exercises. After a few minutes he sees me across the room and just a huge grin and tries to wave to me with these weights in his hands....too funny and he drops them both! The 106 Resident says loud and clear, "? you need to work harder to hang onto those!" ok...I lost it. Now he is trying to explain that he didn't drop them because he was weak and she is saying, you need more work......priceless. What are these Residents Thankful for?
As I was leaving last night I took some pics with my phone and emailed them to my Lady's Daughters so they could see how beautiful she looked. I told my Lady again, how awesome her hair looked and that her husband was going to love it. I said goodnight and said I would see her in a few days and very clearly, but softly she spoke, "I want". So I leaned down and said, what do you want? She said, "Prayer". I have been saying the Lord's Prayer to her each night I left her and was about to leave without doing that. What is amazing is I have not heard her speak in weeks. It is such hard work and she has to push the words out with all her breath in a whisper. After I finished saying the Lord's Prayer with her she closed her eyes and just grinned.......it was like her telling me, "ok, you can go now" lol.....
what is my Lady Thankful for?
Being appreciated, being loved, being brave, being part of a community with compassion and people that can see past disabilities and short-comings... what am I Thankful for?
Monday, November 25, 2013
Every Life deserves the Effort
Monday, November 25, 2013....cold cold..I love it! Winter has arrived just in time for Thanksgiving
Yesterday as I was walking through the hallway where my Lady lives, I passed a man that I see often. He is in her Unit and in a wheelchair. Normally when I walk past him and say hello, he does not respond to me at all. He just stares at me. So last night I stopped and said hello and asked if he'd like to try my Harp. I played a few strings and he just came to life. He told me he couldn't play because he does "this". He showed me with his hands that he plays the piano. So I talked to him about playing piano and he said his hands were broken and he had to stretch them because he couldn't make those black and white things move anymore.
As we are talking, his Daughter comes around the corner and introduces herself. I told her we were talking about the Piano and she said he was a incredible musician. He had played for small orchestras in the various places they had lived and she grew up with beautiful piano music her whole life. She said, music was his life and he has been robbed of the joy.
I asked this man if he ever went to the piano in the dining room and he said he couldn't do that...he needed paper...oh I said, you need notes to read? I just happened to have brought my music of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata movement to play for my Lady so I took it out of my purse and showed him the cover.
What happened next was chilling....it was like he had a bar of gold in his hands. He took the music and just stared at it, trying to read the title of the composition. Then he looked at me and said, I know this name. I opened up the sheet music to the notation and he let out a little gasp.....he just looked and looked at the notes and ran his finger over the page....yes these are the notes he said. I know these.
A piece of music....part of him, part of me, part of his Daughter. We are now connected, once strangers but forever connected by music. Such a small thing with such a huge impact. What a moment, joyful and yet heartbreaking.
After his Daughter left to take him to his room I asked the Nurse if he knew this man was an accomplished musician to which he said no, he had no idea. Not surprising...staff is busy and very disconnected to anything personal with patients. The facilities are too large with turnovers in staff happening almost on a weekly basis.
Please, Please....if you have a loved one or know a loved one in Rehab, Long-term Nursing, Alzheimer's or Dementia Unit....talk about them often to their caregivers. Tell them about the important things they did, from their jobs to their hobbies, but especially what inspired them in their life. It's the Aids, Kitchen Staff bringing meals, cleaning staff that are in their rooms everyday and the Activities Staff that interact with them and need to be reminded that they are still "in there". It takes some effort and experimenting to find a way to reach them, but I have found that Music is universal and far reaching.
Every life deserves the effort
Yesterday as I was walking through the hallway where my Lady lives, I passed a man that I see often. He is in her Unit and in a wheelchair. Normally when I walk past him and say hello, he does not respond to me at all. He just stares at me. So last night I stopped and said hello and asked if he'd like to try my Harp. I played a few strings and he just came to life. He told me he couldn't play because he does "this". He showed me with his hands that he plays the piano. So I talked to him about playing piano and he said his hands were broken and he had to stretch them because he couldn't make those black and white things move anymore.
As we are talking, his Daughter comes around the corner and introduces herself. I told her we were talking about the Piano and she said he was a incredible musician. He had played for small orchestras in the various places they had lived and she grew up with beautiful piano music her whole life. She said, music was his life and he has been robbed of the joy.
I asked this man if he ever went to the piano in the dining room and he said he couldn't do that...he needed paper...oh I said, you need notes to read? I just happened to have brought my music of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata movement to play for my Lady so I took it out of my purse and showed him the cover.
What happened next was chilling....it was like he had a bar of gold in his hands. He took the music and just stared at it, trying to read the title of the composition. Then he looked at me and said, I know this name. I opened up the sheet music to the notation and he let out a little gasp.....he just looked and looked at the notes and ran his finger over the page....yes these are the notes he said. I know these.
A piece of music....part of him, part of me, part of his Daughter. We are now connected, once strangers but forever connected by music. Such a small thing with such a huge impact. What a moment, joyful and yet heartbreaking.
After his Daughter left to take him to his room I asked the Nurse if he knew this man was an accomplished musician to which he said no, he had no idea. Not surprising...staff is busy and very disconnected to anything personal with patients. The facilities are too large with turnovers in staff happening almost on a weekly basis.
Please, Please....if you have a loved one or know a loved one in Rehab, Long-term Nursing, Alzheimer's or Dementia Unit....talk about them often to their caregivers. Tell them about the important things they did, from their jobs to their hobbies, but especially what inspired them in their life. It's the Aids, Kitchen Staff bringing meals, cleaning staff that are in their rooms everyday and the Activities Staff that interact with them and need to be reminded that they are still "in there". It takes some effort and experimenting to find a way to reach them, but I have found that Music is universal and far reaching.
Every life deserves the effort
Friday, November 22, 2013
Paul Simon and Therapeutic Music?
Friday, November 22, 2013....cloudy and warm...but a change is coming!
This past Wednesday I had a most incredible opportunity to attend a private House Concert in Washington DC of Paul Simon...YES, of Simon Garfunkel. Paul Simon is not only still making music but he sounds as good as ever. This intimate gathering was a Fundraiser for a Senator who is also friends with Paul Simon. The home it was held in was lavish, but warm. It had a Library "to die for". It also had a beautiful glass Sunroom, with a Steinway Piano..my dream piano. This Sunroom was where the Concert was held.
After a warm and funny welcome from the home-owner, Senator and Paul Simon...the room grew quiet.
Now, what does any of this have to do with Therapeutic Music??? EVERYTHING!
The music started with the single notes on an Acoustic Guitar...the Intro to "Sound of Silence"...a timeless song with timeless lyrics...just brilliant. When I heard the strings of his guitar, I could feel this peace come over me. It wasn't the awe of looking right at Paul Simon a few feet from me, it was the music being played on these strings. It was the gift of Music. As the guitar and his voice vibrated throughout the room, I continued to relax and felt a healing right to my soul. I let go of all my strife, all my anxiety, all the worries of the world....the hungry, the sick, the poor, the angry, the bitter, the homeless, the bullied and those forgotten because they are too small in this great big world.
As the music continued with the vibrations of a cello, a second guitar and voice, I started to take notice of the people in the room with me. Is it just me that feels this way? Am I so in-tune, as a Therapeutic Musician, that I am the only one aware of this profound peace? As I looked around the room I realized everyone had the same reaction. It's true, there was not a face I observed that didn't share the same relaxed facial expressions...body movements taking in every note, every vibrations thrown out at us. It was one of those special moments in my life when the truth just rang out...."this is what my Patients feel when I play my Harp for them." These are the same expressions and relaxed bodies that I see when I am observing my Patients...pain turned to peace, loneliness turned to compassion by a warm body next to them. The vibrations of the Harp Strings..filling their room and their entire bodies right to the cellular level.
Let there be no mistake, this was a "moment" for me....a new understanding of the powerful effects music has on all of us. It doesn't matter the genre, the simple truth is, music comes into our mind, body and spirit and renews and heals. By the way, Paul Simon was awesome on every song and it was a night like no other, and I thank him for showing me the impact of music...what a night.
This past Wednesday I had a most incredible opportunity to attend a private House Concert in Washington DC of Paul Simon...YES, of Simon Garfunkel. Paul Simon is not only still making music but he sounds as good as ever. This intimate gathering was a Fundraiser for a Senator who is also friends with Paul Simon. The home it was held in was lavish, but warm. It had a Library "to die for". It also had a beautiful glass Sunroom, with a Steinway Piano..my dream piano. This Sunroom was where the Concert was held.
After a warm and funny welcome from the home-owner, Senator and Paul Simon...the room grew quiet.
Now, what does any of this have to do with Therapeutic Music??? EVERYTHING!
The music started with the single notes on an Acoustic Guitar...the Intro to "Sound of Silence"...a timeless song with timeless lyrics...just brilliant. When I heard the strings of his guitar, I could feel this peace come over me. It wasn't the awe of looking right at Paul Simon a few feet from me, it was the music being played on these strings. It was the gift of Music. As the guitar and his voice vibrated throughout the room, I continued to relax and felt a healing right to my soul. I let go of all my strife, all my anxiety, all the worries of the world....the hungry, the sick, the poor, the angry, the bitter, the homeless, the bullied and those forgotten because they are too small in this great big world.
As the music continued with the vibrations of a cello, a second guitar and voice, I started to take notice of the people in the room with me. Is it just me that feels this way? Am I so in-tune, as a Therapeutic Musician, that I am the only one aware of this profound peace? As I looked around the room I realized everyone had the same reaction. It's true, there was not a face I observed that didn't share the same relaxed facial expressions...body movements taking in every note, every vibrations thrown out at us. It was one of those special moments in my life when the truth just rang out...."this is what my Patients feel when I play my Harp for them." These are the same expressions and relaxed bodies that I see when I am observing my Patients...pain turned to peace, loneliness turned to compassion by a warm body next to them. The vibrations of the Harp Strings..filling their room and their entire bodies right to the cellular level.
Let there be no mistake, this was a "moment" for me....a new understanding of the powerful effects music has on all of us. It doesn't matter the genre, the simple truth is, music comes into our mind, body and spirit and renews and heals. By the way, Paul Simon was awesome on every song and it was a night like no other, and I thank him for showing me the impact of music...what a night.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
What a Wild and Crazy Day!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013...we went from 65o to the 40's in one day....gotta love Fall in Maryland!
Yesterday was a really cool day. I went to do my final Internship Hours (I am dragging my feet, I don't want to leave my patients) before I get my Lady. As I was tuning up my Harp in the Lobby area, this man comes up and we start chatting about my Harp and how beautiful the instrument is and he tells me his Mom is in Hospice Care. I got her room number and told him I would stop by, even though she was not on my list.
Later as I am entering the room, he stops me and says, "she is out of it, she won't know you are here, but thank you for trying"...to which I replied, "but she CAN hear the Harp and she CAN feel the vibrations of the strings, so I will play for her if that's ok with you". The Patient was in her 90's and very frail and non responsive to my voice. 3 cool things happened...
1) After the second song, the Patient opened her eyes and looked at us and then just relaxed back to a peaceful and relaxed state. The Son started crying and said, "she can hear you, I am just so happy". I had to fight hard to keep my composure...the last thing he needed was me crying along with him, lol
He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a roll of money and puts it in my hand...well you can guess my reaction, NO WAY...but thank you so much for you kind offer!
2) As it turns out, this man is from California and is so heartbroken that he only has occasional visits with his Mom, as she is failing fast. He told me that he belongs to a group in CA that is hosting a fundraiser for Alzheimer's and Dementia. The name of the convention is "The healing power of Music" and the guest speaker is non other than the son of Harpo Marx! He than asked me for my Business Card, 5 of them to be exact and said he had connections in my area and he would get my Business Cards into the right hands. As he was leaving he gave me a huge hug and I told him I would try to get to his Mom as often as possible, but that today would be my last Internship Day and that I was hoping the Facility would hire me for part-time hours so I could stay with my patients. He asked who was over-seeing my Internship and gave me another hug......could there be employment possibilities?
3) As all these beautiful things are happening to my Patient, on the other side of the Curtain is her roommate...I could not see her and I thought her bed was empty.... but as soon as I started to play, she started to scream out profanities at the top of her lungs. She made animal-type noises and the Son was so upset, he kept apologizing....to which I said, clearly this other patient is fighting her own battles and we should have compassion for her also (he wasn't buying it at all and was very mad). At one point I just lost it and had to break down laughing, but pulled myself back together and finished up.
After the Son left, I went to the curtain and asked if I could talk to her. She said, yes, what's your name? So I told her Jackie, to which she laughed out loud and said, "that's a man's name! that's a funny name for a girl!" I reminded her of Jacqueline Kennedy and she said, well than your name is not Jackie, it's Jacqueline and that IS a girls name! OMGGGGGGG from there it was uphill all the way, but I left and we were best buds. She asked me if I could come back to see her again, so I will give it a shot today...wish me luck...it could go sour.
So these 3 experiences taught me so much about myself and the hardships of others. I had unbelievable compassion for the roommate, in-spite of her behavior....and fortunately I saw the humor in the situation...what a wild and crazy day that was :)
Yesterday was a really cool day. I went to do my final Internship Hours (I am dragging my feet, I don't want to leave my patients) before I get my Lady. As I was tuning up my Harp in the Lobby area, this man comes up and we start chatting about my Harp and how beautiful the instrument is and he tells me his Mom is in Hospice Care. I got her room number and told him I would stop by, even though she was not on my list.
Later as I am entering the room, he stops me and says, "she is out of it, she won't know you are here, but thank you for trying"...to which I replied, "but she CAN hear the Harp and she CAN feel the vibrations of the strings, so I will play for her if that's ok with you". The Patient was in her 90's and very frail and non responsive to my voice. 3 cool things happened...
1) After the second song, the Patient opened her eyes and looked at us and then just relaxed back to a peaceful and relaxed state. The Son started crying and said, "she can hear you, I am just so happy". I had to fight hard to keep my composure...the last thing he needed was me crying along with him, lol
He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a roll of money and puts it in my hand...well you can guess my reaction, NO WAY...but thank you so much for you kind offer!
2) As it turns out, this man is from California and is so heartbroken that he only has occasional visits with his Mom, as she is failing fast. He told me that he belongs to a group in CA that is hosting a fundraiser for Alzheimer's and Dementia. The name of the convention is "The healing power of Music" and the guest speaker is non other than the son of Harpo Marx! He than asked me for my Business Card, 5 of them to be exact and said he had connections in my area and he would get my Business Cards into the right hands. As he was leaving he gave me a huge hug and I told him I would try to get to his Mom as often as possible, but that today would be my last Internship Day and that I was hoping the Facility would hire me for part-time hours so I could stay with my patients. He asked who was over-seeing my Internship and gave me another hug......could there be employment possibilities?
3) As all these beautiful things are happening to my Patient, on the other side of the Curtain is her roommate...I could not see her and I thought her bed was empty.... but as soon as I started to play, she started to scream out profanities at the top of her lungs. She made animal-type noises and the Son was so upset, he kept apologizing....to which I said, clearly this other patient is fighting her own battles and we should have compassion for her also (he wasn't buying it at all and was very mad). At one point I just lost it and had to break down laughing, but pulled myself back together and finished up.
After the Son left, I went to the curtain and asked if I could talk to her. She said, yes, what's your name? So I told her Jackie, to which she laughed out loud and said, "that's a man's name! that's a funny name for a girl!" I reminded her of Jacqueline Kennedy and she said, well than your name is not Jackie, it's Jacqueline and that IS a girls name! OMGGGGGGG from there it was uphill all the way, but I left and we were best buds. She asked me if I could come back to see her again, so I will give it a shot today...wish me luck...it could go sour.
So these 3 experiences taught me so much about myself and the hardships of others. I had unbelievable compassion for the roommate, in-spite of her behavior....and fortunately I saw the humor in the situation...what a wild and crazy day that was :)
Monday, November 11, 2013
Joyful, Emotional, Effective, Profound
Monday Evening, Veterans Day...November 11, 2013...thinking of my Daddy today
Today was a really interesting day. My first stop were 2 Ladies...one is elderly and has some Dementia and the other is younger and has just recently been put in Hospice Care. She is having such a hard time dealing with this. When I come to the door of their room, both of them light up! The younger patient told me she had been looking for me. I reminded her I don't come part of the week..that I would not forget about playing for them. I created these lovely notices I put on the Patient's Door when I have given a Therapeutic Session, they simply say:....On November 11, 2013, Ms. ????? has received 30 minutes of Live Therapeutic Music, thoughtfully prepared and played by Therapeutic Harpist, Jacqueline A. Elgie. This is on pretty parchment paper and the patients LOVE these...it's like their certificate or something. So the younger patient told me she was looking for more paper on her door by her name...she said "I want to wallpaper that door with them!". Very sweet. So the older patient today was not only singing at the top of her lungs but she was waving both hands up in the air while she did it. The younger patient got so tickled, she said "you go girl....sing them songs" Joyful
My next patient is very elderly and has Alzheimer's. Normally she does not communicate and after a few minutes, I can always tell when the Music is reaching her and having a positive effect. It's very heartwarming...but today as I played, she looked at me and started crying! So I stopped and went to her and asked her if the Music made her sad? She said, "no beautiful" and I said do you want me to stop playing? "not yet"....so I said , your tears are tears of happiness and joy and she said, "yes, I am there"....Emotional
I was walking to the computer room while my Companion was being showered and I always walk past a Unit that has some real hard to handle Alzheimer's Patients, normally out by the Nurses Station where they can keep an eye on them. It seems the evening is the most difficult time there. So today I asked the Nurse if I could bring my Harp and set up by the patients, she was thrilled. So I played for about 40 minutes...not only did the patients quiet down, swing their legs and arms, try to sing and some sat with their eyes closed, completely relaxed, but the Staff was so peaceful as well. I heard one Nurse say to another, "can we have her everyday????" .......Effective
When I was playing for my Companion, she had just been showered and was tucked in bed. She loves the music and as I was playing I looked at her and she seemed like a beautiful, little girl. So peaceful, so full of love and life. If only she could talk to me.....Profound
Today was a really interesting day. My first stop were 2 Ladies...one is elderly and has some Dementia and the other is younger and has just recently been put in Hospice Care. She is having such a hard time dealing with this. When I come to the door of their room, both of them light up! The younger patient told me she had been looking for me. I reminded her I don't come part of the week..that I would not forget about playing for them. I created these lovely notices I put on the Patient's Door when I have given a Therapeutic Session, they simply say:....On November 11, 2013, Ms. ????? has received 30 minutes of Live Therapeutic Music, thoughtfully prepared and played by Therapeutic Harpist, Jacqueline A. Elgie. This is on pretty parchment paper and the patients LOVE these...it's like their certificate or something. So the younger patient told me she was looking for more paper on her door by her name...she said "I want to wallpaper that door with them!". Very sweet. So the older patient today was not only singing at the top of her lungs but she was waving both hands up in the air while she did it. The younger patient got so tickled, she said "you go girl....sing them songs" Joyful
My next patient is very elderly and has Alzheimer's. Normally she does not communicate and after a few minutes, I can always tell when the Music is reaching her and having a positive effect. It's very heartwarming...but today as I played, she looked at me and started crying! So I stopped and went to her and asked her if the Music made her sad? She said, "no beautiful" and I said do you want me to stop playing? "not yet"....so I said , your tears are tears of happiness and joy and she said, "yes, I am there"....Emotional
I was walking to the computer room while my Companion was being showered and I always walk past a Unit that has some real hard to handle Alzheimer's Patients, normally out by the Nurses Station where they can keep an eye on them. It seems the evening is the most difficult time there. So today I asked the Nurse if I could bring my Harp and set up by the patients, she was thrilled. So I played for about 40 minutes...not only did the patients quiet down, swing their legs and arms, try to sing and some sat with their eyes closed, completely relaxed, but the Staff was so peaceful as well. I heard one Nurse say to another, "can we have her everyday????" .......Effective
When I was playing for my Companion, she had just been showered and was tucked in bed. She loves the music and as I was playing I looked at her and she seemed like a beautiful, little girl. So peaceful, so full of love and life. If only she could talk to me.....Profound
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Knowing who the REAL Hero is
Thursday, November 7, 2013....8am....looks like rain! I took today off ...I am going to clean my house, go shopping and practice some new tunes on my Harp....
Last night I received a most beautiful email from the Daughter of the Lady I am Companion for. I know she wouldn't mind my posting part of the email, it is written from her heart and the beginning of the email covers things that were discussed with the Facility during a monthly Family Meeting. The rest of the email just brought me to tears. I believe so strongly in what I do with my Harp. If only I could freeze the moment for all to see, but this email will have to do....I am so humbled by these words because the real hero in all this is my Lady Friend who lives within her limited body, everyday a challenge, everyday a fight to communicate, to have some meaning in her life.
Last night I received a most beautiful email from the Daughter of the Lady I am Companion for. I know she wouldn't mind my posting part of the email, it is written from her heart and the beginning of the email covers things that were discussed with the Facility during a monthly Family Meeting. The rest of the email just brought me to tears. I believe so strongly in what I do with my Harp. If only I could freeze the moment for all to see, but this email will have to do....I am so humbled by these words because the real hero in all this is my Lady Friend who lives within her limited body, everyday a challenge, everyday a fight to communicate, to have some meaning in her life.
"Finally, my mom was very alert today and very aware that my dad and I were there. She was communicating to us by raising her eyebrows, and boy was she raising them. It was clear she understood who we were and what we were saying. She was taping her toes to the music program and seemed happier than I have seen her in a very long time!! We took her outside for a little bit, but it was later in the day and we were all a little cold. But, while we were outside, I talked to her about you (Jackie). I mentioned how we are in contact with you each day that you are there with her. I asked her if she liked to hear the harp and piano and her eyebrows were dancing! Up and down, up and down. My dad and I laughed and I said, "I see those eyebrows going up and down", and she raised them again. Then I was talking with my dad. I told him how much you love mom, and how much she means to you. My mother actually started giggling. I was so surprised. She actually heard and understood what I was saying. So, I said it again, just by chance that it was a fluke and sure enough she giggled again! One other little story about her day, I was handing her the piglet stuffed animal to hold and she grabbed three of my fingers and held on tight. After about 10 minutes of holding my hand, and squeezing it when I asked her to, my cell phone rang. I pulled my fingers back to answer my phone. Don't you know, she wouldn't let go of them. She held them with all her strength and I had to twist them out of her hand. I laughed at her and said, "mom, I have to answer my phone lol", and she let go.
I know this email is lengthy, but I just couldn't wait to tell you how well she did today and that this was the best I have seen her since the week you went away. She was there, she understood, she enjoyed our visit, and most important, she was very happy!
Good meeting, good day with mom. Who could ask for more?
All of this is because you, Jackie, you made all of this happen. She would be lost inside her own mind without the work you have provided to her through your musical talents and your natural ability to connect with people who are sick.
Thanks again for all that you do!!!"
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
A Spiritual Connection...
10 pm...Wednesday, November 6, 2013....a most beautiful, warm and balmy day today...Tad had the day off so he and I had lunch when I got back from Harping and then a walk in the park...it was so quiet and beautiful
Today I was at the Nursing Home and it was such a positive day. My Mr. W was sitting up, waiting for me to come in so he could hear the Harp while he was eating his Lunch....he at it all...again! When he was done he just grinned...his roommate Mr. A...must have asked me 10 times if his wife had been in to visit him..and did she love him, to which I replied 10 times, Yes Mr. A...your wife was here and she loves you very much. While the Doctor was seeing Mr. A...I continued to play quietly and all of a sudden Mr. A starts belting it out, hahahaha...he actually has a great voice and remembers most of the words....I just love these two!
I was looking for one of my Patients and found her in the day room with about 8 other Patients, all very low functioning, in wheelchairs. The TV was on so I turned it off and brought my Harp into the room, rather than moving my Patient back to her room. I don't know how to explain what happens, but it's like they all have keys in their back and someone winds them up....slowly they start to move, a foot or a hand...a turn of the head...the eyes, a smile or just a peaceful change in their faces. I am just fascinated by the effect the Harp has on them. All I can say is Wow!
I played for a Patient that is normally "hard to get along with".....she has that reputation, however I have worked around it by playing outside her room....she loves it when I am done so today I stuck my head in her room and she was sleeping....I jumped on that and set up in her room quietly, playing one string at a time so not to startle her. After about 10 min of soft music, she woke up and looked at me...closed her eyes and moved her feet to the music until I finished. When I stopped she said, "that was beautiful"....I asked her if I could come back next week and she said, "I don't know, we will have to see how I feel on that day"....oh my what a joy it is
Each day brings such changes and joy to my life. If these Patients had any idea how much I love them all. I feel I have connected with them in some spiritual way....how could I ever thank them for what they give to me?
Today I was at the Nursing Home and it was such a positive day. My Mr. W was sitting up, waiting for me to come in so he could hear the Harp while he was eating his Lunch....he at it all...again! When he was done he just grinned...his roommate Mr. A...must have asked me 10 times if his wife had been in to visit him..and did she love him, to which I replied 10 times, Yes Mr. A...your wife was here and she loves you very much. While the Doctor was seeing Mr. A...I continued to play quietly and all of a sudden Mr. A starts belting it out, hahahaha...he actually has a great voice and remembers most of the words....I just love these two!
I was looking for one of my Patients and found her in the day room with about 8 other Patients, all very low functioning, in wheelchairs. The TV was on so I turned it off and brought my Harp into the room, rather than moving my Patient back to her room. I don't know how to explain what happens, but it's like they all have keys in their back and someone winds them up....slowly they start to move, a foot or a hand...a turn of the head...the eyes, a smile or just a peaceful change in their faces. I am just fascinated by the effect the Harp has on them. All I can say is Wow!
I played for a Patient that is normally "hard to get along with".....she has that reputation, however I have worked around it by playing outside her room....she loves it when I am done so today I stuck my head in her room and she was sleeping....I jumped on that and set up in her room quietly, playing one string at a time so not to startle her. After about 10 min of soft music, she woke up and looked at me...closed her eyes and moved her feet to the music until I finished. When I stopped she said, "that was beautiful"....I asked her if I could come back next week and she said, "I don't know, we will have to see how I feel on that day"....oh my what a joy it is
Each day brings such changes and joy to my life. If these Patients had any idea how much I love them all. I feel I have connected with them in some spiritual way....how could I ever thank them for what they give to me?
Friday, November 1, 2013
"get your a** out there and do it"
Friday morning, November 1, 2013...really? November? Warm and very breezy...but a change is comin'
Yesterday I went to the Infusion Center at the Hospital to play. I haven't been there in 3 weeks and I felt terrible about it. They were so happy to have music. I love that the Staff as well as the patients are light on their feet and singing along to the tunes. I always observe the environment before I start to play. It's always a sure thing, 10 minutes later it's an entirely different place.
One of the things I am finding very hard to deal with is the fact that when my Internship Hours are complete, it will be very hard for me not to come play for my patients. I have grown to love these people in so many ways and I know that if I don't come, there will be a huge void for them. Most of the patients I play for are bed-bound. They don't leave their room to enjoy music programs and other activities with the other Residents. I try to imagine myself lying there, hour after hour, day after day. No stimulation, no conversation, just a blaring TV in the background. The reality is, I need to have an income. I need to be paid for my services and if that is not happening, I need to use that time to complete my reading, practice my harp and take care of my home and family. I want to set aside one day of volunteer work, but one day won't cover the various facilities that I am working at now.......oh to be independently wealthy...well not wealthy but enough to pay the bills and eat on a regular basis, hahahaha!
I am doing my internship hours at 2 Assisted Living Facilities and the Hospital. Employment at the Hospital will be a possibility in 2014, if funding is increased for the program. At the Assisted living where my Lady lives, I am not confident there will be funds to keep me as a resource for the patients I have been seeing during Internship....sad...very sad. But some good news from the other Assisted Living, I was told on Wednesday that they want to keep me as a Resource with a paid position starting in December. It won't be full-time of course, but it will be at least 1 day a week and I might be able to stretch the funding into 2 days a week. I am so thrilled about this, as I have grown so attached to these patients.
I am also doing a commercial for Sunrise Sr. Living next Thursday and it will highlight Memory Care through Therapeutic Music Sessions and word has it I will also be a paid Resource for their facility. I don't have details about how often this will be available for their residents, but anything is better than nothing. I am also a Resource for Household of Angels once a month....so as I move forward in this field, I continue to learn how to present my work to prospective employers. It's a really beautiful thing when the staff are there to witness the profound impact that live therapeutic harp music has on the patients. I have been fortunate to have the staff walk in while I am giving a session and be so blown away at the results. It's from that feedback that the validity of what I do with my harp is worth keeping me around, lol
I actually don't know how this whole thing started to begin with. How I landed where I am in my life today is a complete mystery to me. 2 years ago when I bought my first little harp, not in my wildest dreams did I think I would be doing therapeutic music. It's not like it was a dream of mine or that I had always intended to do this. Sometimes when I am playing for a patient, I feel my Mom and Dad's presence in the room. Oh how I wish I could have played for them as they were taking their journey into the next realm of their lives. Perhaps they have a hand in my adventure....that would be just like my Mom...."get your a*# out there and do it" !!!!!
Yesterday I went to the Infusion Center at the Hospital to play. I haven't been there in 3 weeks and I felt terrible about it. They were so happy to have music. I love that the Staff as well as the patients are light on their feet and singing along to the tunes. I always observe the environment before I start to play. It's always a sure thing, 10 minutes later it's an entirely different place.
One of the things I am finding very hard to deal with is the fact that when my Internship Hours are complete, it will be very hard for me not to come play for my patients. I have grown to love these people in so many ways and I know that if I don't come, there will be a huge void for them. Most of the patients I play for are bed-bound. They don't leave their room to enjoy music programs and other activities with the other Residents. I try to imagine myself lying there, hour after hour, day after day. No stimulation, no conversation, just a blaring TV in the background. The reality is, I need to have an income. I need to be paid for my services and if that is not happening, I need to use that time to complete my reading, practice my harp and take care of my home and family. I want to set aside one day of volunteer work, but one day won't cover the various facilities that I am working at now.......oh to be independently wealthy...well not wealthy but enough to pay the bills and eat on a regular basis, hahahaha!
I am doing my internship hours at 2 Assisted Living Facilities and the Hospital. Employment at the Hospital will be a possibility in 2014, if funding is increased for the program. At the Assisted living where my Lady lives, I am not confident there will be funds to keep me as a resource for the patients I have been seeing during Internship....sad...very sad. But some good news from the other Assisted Living, I was told on Wednesday that they want to keep me as a Resource with a paid position starting in December. It won't be full-time of course, but it will be at least 1 day a week and I might be able to stretch the funding into 2 days a week. I am so thrilled about this, as I have grown so attached to these patients.
I am also doing a commercial for Sunrise Sr. Living next Thursday and it will highlight Memory Care through Therapeutic Music Sessions and word has it I will also be a paid Resource for their facility. I don't have details about how often this will be available for their residents, but anything is better than nothing. I am also a Resource for Household of Angels once a month....so as I move forward in this field, I continue to learn how to present my work to prospective employers. It's a really beautiful thing when the staff are there to witness the profound impact that live therapeutic harp music has on the patients. I have been fortunate to have the staff walk in while I am giving a session and be so blown away at the results. It's from that feedback that the validity of what I do with my harp is worth keeping me around, lol
I actually don't know how this whole thing started to begin with. How I landed where I am in my life today is a complete mystery to me. 2 years ago when I bought my first little harp, not in my wildest dreams did I think I would be doing therapeutic music. It's not like it was a dream of mine or that I had always intended to do this. Sometimes when I am playing for a patient, I feel my Mom and Dad's presence in the room. Oh how I wish I could have played for them as they were taking their journey into the next realm of their lives. Perhaps they have a hand in my adventure....that would be just like my Mom...."get your a*# out there and do it" !!!!!
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
That's what I'm talking about !!
Wednesday evening.....it's really warm outside this evening and I am going to take a nice long walk in a while.....
Some quick thoughts to jot down...today at one of the Assisted Living Facilities ....
There is a Mr. W.....Mr. W is very thin and when I played for him the first time a few weeks ago I didn't know he could sit up...eat....even walk. So last week the staff was concerned about his not eating. After they left I told him is he would eat, I would play...so he sat right up and finished all his lunch...amazing. Today when I arrived I shared this story with the Director and she said, yes he had lost weight and they were concerned. So I show up to his room at noon....he's on his side...shakes his head that he wants music and then the lunch tray comes. His roommate is yelling "I want my lunch" but Mr. W. is still lying there. So I told him, you sit up and eat and I will play music....I waited and waited...then he sits up and finishes his plate again!!! When he was done he laid back down and I said to him, "Mr. W. do I have to come play music for your Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner ?" and he just smiled and shook his head yes....what a stinker!!!
Ms L....she has had a brain injury and is complete care. She is shy of strangers and doesn't communicate. When I come into the room she moves up against the wall, like she is afraid of me. I ask her roommate if she would like music..."no" ...so I asked if I could play for Ms L...she said ok...she left her TV on while I played and after about 10 minutes she turned it down very low (I knew she would like the music).....Ms. L had her eyes closed but every now and then she would open her eyes and smile....it was always at the beginning of a Hymn....she was in there....the music reached her. When I left her roommate that did not want music was sound asleep.....love it
I played for Ms R for the first time today.....when I entered the room she was hollering for me to change her diaper....over and over. Her roommate was frustrated and kept saying, "you already had it changed". I asked if I could play music and got another "no"..so I asked if I could play for Ms. R...she said ok....Ms. R was very agitated...moving around but as soon as I started playing she was relaxed and quiet. She closed her eyes and moved her hands to the music. She was so peaceful....her Dr. walked in and said to me, "this is so wonderful for these patients and the staff just loves hearing music coming down the hall, it's so good for all of us"......when I left the roommate that said "no" asked if I could come back and play more hymns..she loved it.....that's what I'm talking about!!
Some quick thoughts to jot down...today at one of the Assisted Living Facilities ....
There is a Mr. W.....Mr. W is very thin and when I played for him the first time a few weeks ago I didn't know he could sit up...eat....even walk. So last week the staff was concerned about his not eating. After they left I told him is he would eat, I would play...so he sat right up and finished all his lunch...amazing. Today when I arrived I shared this story with the Director and she said, yes he had lost weight and they were concerned. So I show up to his room at noon....he's on his side...shakes his head that he wants music and then the lunch tray comes. His roommate is yelling "I want my lunch" but Mr. W. is still lying there. So I told him, you sit up and eat and I will play music....I waited and waited...then he sits up and finishes his plate again!!! When he was done he laid back down and I said to him, "Mr. W. do I have to come play music for your Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner ?" and he just smiled and shook his head yes....what a stinker!!!
Ms L....she has had a brain injury and is complete care. She is shy of strangers and doesn't communicate. When I come into the room she moves up against the wall, like she is afraid of me. I ask her roommate if she would like music..."no" ...so I asked if I could play for Ms L...she said ok...she left her TV on while I played and after about 10 minutes she turned it down very low (I knew she would like the music).....Ms. L had her eyes closed but every now and then she would open her eyes and smile....it was always at the beginning of a Hymn....she was in there....the music reached her. When I left her roommate that did not want music was sound asleep.....love it
I played for Ms R for the first time today.....when I entered the room she was hollering for me to change her diaper....over and over. Her roommate was frustrated and kept saying, "you already had it changed". I asked if I could play music and got another "no"..so I asked if I could play for Ms. R...she said ok....Ms. R was very agitated...moving around but as soon as I started playing she was relaxed and quiet. She closed her eyes and moved her hands to the music. She was so peaceful....her Dr. walked in and said to me, "this is so wonderful for these patients and the staff just loves hearing music coming down the hall, it's so good for all of us"......when I left the roommate that said "no" asked if I could come back and play more hymns..she loved it.....that's what I'm talking about!!
Life IS like a Box of Chocolates
Wednesday Morning....cloudy and a bit of rain...dark dark...but oh how I hate the time change coming up...I would rather have light at the end of the day!
On Monday I met a Resident, a paraplegic who was very interested in my Harp...long story short...today I brought him my small Mid-East Harp, a Tuner and a Tuning Wrench. I printed out 4 Tunes, color-coded...Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle, Silent Night and On Top of Spaghetti. He was THRILLED...a young guy in his 40's...he's been there 2 years. I think this will fill his days with some distraction and he has the ability to do some tunes on this little Lap Harp.....anxious to see where this goes.....
My lady has a new Roommate.....she has an Aunt that is a Nun that plays the Harp????? NO kidding???? Seriously????? what a riot!
I walked past a Resident's room and noticed a small, frail woman curled up and staring at the ceiling. I decided to stop and play for her, even though she was not on my list from the Director. I introduced myself and asked if she wanted music. no response....so I figured she could not communicate and sat down and started playing slow, familiar music. After about 10 minutes she rolled on her back and crossed her hands on her chest...I was thrilled to see she could move herself. When I was done I thanked her for listening and told her I would come back to see her soon...and as I was walking away, to my surprise she said "OK".....hahaha they fool me every time.
On my travels from Unit to Unit, I pass the Nurse's Station many times. Yesterday there was a lady in a wheelchair, parked at the Nurse's Station for a couple hours. Every time I walked by with my Harp she would almost shout, "You gonna play that thing?" to which I answered "Yes I am". So as I was leaving last night I stopped at her chair and played a soft, lovely Gliss for her on the Harp. She looked at me and said, "That is a beautiful instrument but it's only meant for death". Yikes....so I said well no, it plays beautiful music and I am not dead and the people I play for are not dead (at least not yet?) and she said, "it is only here for the dead". By this time the Nurses are cracking up, wondering how I am gonna handle this one. So I explained that they use Harps in the Orchestra, at Weddings and Special Occasions which were all Happy Occasions...to which she replied, "I've been to many fancy Weddings and I have never seen a Harp, they are only for the dead". Ok, I gave up, after all, the Facility was having their Safe Trick or Treat that evening and perhaps she is a prop?
Each day I receive so much joy....I am excited to start a new day. Life is really like a Box of Chocolates...you just never know what you're gonna get.
On Monday I met a Resident, a paraplegic who was very interested in my Harp...long story short...today I brought him my small Mid-East Harp, a Tuner and a Tuning Wrench. I printed out 4 Tunes, color-coded...Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle, Silent Night and On Top of Spaghetti. He was THRILLED...a young guy in his 40's...he's been there 2 years. I think this will fill his days with some distraction and he has the ability to do some tunes on this little Lap Harp.....anxious to see where this goes.....
My lady has a new Roommate.....she has an Aunt that is a Nun that plays the Harp????? NO kidding???? Seriously????? what a riot!
I walked past a Resident's room and noticed a small, frail woman curled up and staring at the ceiling. I decided to stop and play for her, even though she was not on my list from the Director. I introduced myself and asked if she wanted music. no response....so I figured she could not communicate and sat down and started playing slow, familiar music. After about 10 minutes she rolled on her back and crossed her hands on her chest...I was thrilled to see she could move herself. When I was done I thanked her for listening and told her I would come back to see her soon...and as I was walking away, to my surprise she said "OK".....hahaha they fool me every time.
On my travels from Unit to Unit, I pass the Nurse's Station many times. Yesterday there was a lady in a wheelchair, parked at the Nurse's Station for a couple hours. Every time I walked by with my Harp she would almost shout, "You gonna play that thing?" to which I answered "Yes I am". So as I was leaving last night I stopped at her chair and played a soft, lovely Gliss for her on the Harp. She looked at me and said, "That is a beautiful instrument but it's only meant for death". Yikes....so I said well no, it plays beautiful music and I am not dead and the people I play for are not dead (at least not yet?) and she said, "it is only here for the dead". By this time the Nurses are cracking up, wondering how I am gonna handle this one. So I explained that they use Harps in the Orchestra, at Weddings and Special Occasions which were all Happy Occasions...to which she replied, "I've been to many fancy Weddings and I have never seen a Harp, they are only for the dead". Ok, I gave up, after all, the Facility was having their Safe Trick or Treat that evening and perhaps she is a prop?
Each day I receive so much joy....I am excited to start a new day. Life is really like a Box of Chocolates...you just never know what you're gonna get.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
A Powerful Life
Tuesday morning, October 29, 2013......a cold start to another beautiful fall day. The colors are so pretty right now and Halloween is just a few days away.....BOO
I tallied up my Internship Hours and to my surprise, I find myself half done. The time just flies by and each day I am playing I learn so much about myself, my weaknesses and my strengths. I am so grateful for this job and the service I am providing. The responses from the Patients, Staff and Families are amazing.
Yesterday was a day of extreme saddness and yet also one filled with so much promise and joy. When I arrived to do my Intern Hours the Director stopped me in the Lobby and told me that my Lady's roommate had passed away earlier in the morning. I will call her Miss G. I was not surprised that she was gone. When I left her the night before I knew she would go quickly. Earlier that day she was actively dying so I spent most of my Intern Hours with her. I played unfamiliar, non-rhythmic music for her. Several times during my Session with her, different Residents would stop and wait at the door. Even those who don't communicate knew...they sensed her passing. It was a beautiful thing to be part of. I returned that evening to find her Family there. They were with Hospice and I asked if they wanted me to come back. They were so happy to have Music for Miss G, they went off to have a meeting together and I stayed and played for another hour. Miss G only stirred one time, making a small noise when I played 3 Tunes she always asked me for over the 6 months I have been playing for her.....Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Jesus Loves Me and Amazing Grace. I wanted to leave her with her favorite Tunes. When I left, Miss G was struggling for breath and my Lady was peacefully asleep.
Some might say how depressing that must have been. I cannot explain how it is just the opposite. It is sad. Anytime someone leaves this Earth and their Family and Friends it is sad. But there is also peace and wonder, as this person's energy and spirit continues on a journey that none of us know anything about. Our hearing is the last to leave us in the transition to our new journey. I know Miss G heard all the notes of my Harp and that her Spirit was renewed as she passed.
I decided to have a small remembrance ceremony for Miss G. My way of healing myself and respecting her life. I lit a small candle for her last night and let it burn down. It allows me to let go of the saddness and smile at the wonderful, smart, kind and funny lady she was. I will not enter her room with saddness again, only joy.
What a powerful life we all have...
I tallied up my Internship Hours and to my surprise, I find myself half done. The time just flies by and each day I am playing I learn so much about myself, my weaknesses and my strengths. I am so grateful for this job and the service I am providing. The responses from the Patients, Staff and Families are amazing.
Yesterday was a day of extreme saddness and yet also one filled with so much promise and joy. When I arrived to do my Intern Hours the Director stopped me in the Lobby and told me that my Lady's roommate had passed away earlier in the morning. I will call her Miss G. I was not surprised that she was gone. When I left her the night before I knew she would go quickly. Earlier that day she was actively dying so I spent most of my Intern Hours with her. I played unfamiliar, non-rhythmic music for her. Several times during my Session with her, different Residents would stop and wait at the door. Even those who don't communicate knew...they sensed her passing. It was a beautiful thing to be part of. I returned that evening to find her Family there. They were with Hospice and I asked if they wanted me to come back. They were so happy to have Music for Miss G, they went off to have a meeting together and I stayed and played for another hour. Miss G only stirred one time, making a small noise when I played 3 Tunes she always asked me for over the 6 months I have been playing for her.....Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Jesus Loves Me and Amazing Grace. I wanted to leave her with her favorite Tunes. When I left, Miss G was struggling for breath and my Lady was peacefully asleep.
Some might say how depressing that must have been. I cannot explain how it is just the opposite. It is sad. Anytime someone leaves this Earth and their Family and Friends it is sad. But there is also peace and wonder, as this person's energy and spirit continues on a journey that none of us know anything about. Our hearing is the last to leave us in the transition to our new journey. I know Miss G heard all the notes of my Harp and that her Spirit was renewed as she passed.
I decided to have a small remembrance ceremony for Miss G. My way of healing myself and respecting her life. I lit a small candle for her last night and let it burn down. It allows me to let go of the saddness and smile at the wonderful, smart, kind and funny lady she was. I will not enter her room with saddness again, only joy.
What a powerful life we all have...
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Music...the Back Door to the Brain and our Souls
Thursday Evening, October 17, 2013....we are up in the Mountains along the Shenandoah River at the State Park....Fortunately, and no thanks to our Congress, we made our Reservations a few months ago at a STATE park...never thinking our National Parks would be closed down.....we just returned from a long Hike...temps are about 65...a light rain earlier but crisp and beautiful as the Sun goes down...
I wanted to write about my new job...a Companion for my dear Lady, that I have been playing a Session for the last few months. As fate would have it, her Companion quit and the family asked if it would be something I would be interested in doing.....I jumped at the opportunity! There was nothing but + + + for us all. I would get to spend 3 consecutive afternoons a week giving my Lady a Therapeutic Music Session. The other is her roommate that is Hospice Care, is also receiving Therapeutic Music 3 days a week. The third and most wonderful thing, is I also get the opportunity to play Piano, walk outside and read to my Lady friend.
I think I have a routine worked out now. I am also doing my Internship Hours at this Facility. I come in about 2 hours early and have a list of Residents that receive no outside stimulation, as they are bed bound. Some are Hospice and some are just so sick they can not leave their room.
I have had wonderful responses from these Residents. For those who were reluctant to have Music (this is because they think they have to interact with me) because they feel so ill, they now smile when I come to the door and are thrilled to have me. Some sing, some sleep with a smile on their face and some ask me not to leave them.
As far as my Lady.....I can only say that the Therapeutic Music has made a huge difference in her communication skills with her Family. As an Alzheimer's Patient, we know we can’t cure her disease, but the gift of being able to communicate a little longer is immeasurable. Below are some quotes taken from her Family’s Emails, sent to me over the last few weeks....it doesn’t get any better than this:
Daughter #1
October 8th....”Another great day! Thanks for you help with mom this week. She is much more responsive and alert than she's been in a long time”
October 14th....”Mom is doing well. She wasn't as responsive to my dad as she was for me. She answered my questions or when I made the statement, "you look tired", she said, "I sure am". Yes, from a faint "huff" for answer/comment to a "I sure am". Remarkable. And, this was at 7:00 p.m. at night, when she is usually the most out of it, "Sundown".
October 14th.....Also, it has been so long since I have seen her Roommate awake or responsive. She would wake and fall back to sleep talking to me. When I went the last two times she was sitting up in her bed, watching tv and talking! I arrived at 2:00 last week and tip toed into the room to drop off my mom's laundry. To my surprise, she was awake, watching television. I told her I would be back in a little bit. I returned at 4:00 and she was still awake. She did nod off for a half hour or so and then back awake until I left at 5:30. I haven't seen her so lively in, I don't know how long.”
So, both mom and and her Roommate are responding well to your music. No doubt in my mind that is what is doing it. I will be visiting the nursing home tomorrow. I will see how she is doing since my last visit, almost a week ago. Thanks for your music therapy!
Daughter #2
October 8th.....Jackie - I believe the harp music is helping to stimulate her brain and we are seeing more of "her" than we have in a long time. My father made that comment the other day. He said she had said the most he has heard out of her in a year and he could tell she was present and listening. He kissed her goodbye and seemed so happy. For a long time he would pat her on the head and say goodbye. Not sure why, but he was happy to see her the other day.
October 8th .....My Sister has been sending me email after she visits Mom saying that she did not want to leave because Mom was actually answering her questions and she knew what my sister was asking her. She knew she was in touch with Mom.”
Music finds it’s way through the Back Door of the Brain....it can reach the unreachable
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
What a day.....what a day!
Wednesday evening....7:45pm....rainy and cool...for as bad as we need the rain it looks like it will washout our Family Day at the Renn Fest....bummer
I haven't written in a couple weeks....I really don't know where to start because there has been so much news and so many wonderful experiences...but just too busy to get it written down. I think I will start with today and go backwards.
My first day doing Internship Hours at the Nursing Home. This is a small Facility, State Funded and a lot of indigent Patients there. Some of the Residents come from the Mental Health Facilities that our State felt the need to close, leaving these people on the street or worse. The Nursing Home was clean as a whistle and I found all the Staff that I interacted with were loving, caring and doing their job, it was a pleasure to Serve there.
So my first Patient was "hard to get along with" or so I was told, but you know the old saying, "Music soothes the savage beast" and so when she refused the Music that the Staff was trying to sell, I stepped in and told her she did not have to talk to me, or be moved to another location, that the music was just for her and no one else. Ok...she smiled and said I could stay for a few minutes. I started to play and her entire body just relaxed and sank into her recliner. She had lost that hard face and it was replaced with a peaceful smile. Occasionally she would say, "that is just beautiful". I played Familiar music for her at a pulse tempo of 70-80 bpm. I heard this "jabber" behind me as I was playing but didn't stop to look and stayed focused on my Patient. When I was finished I turned around to find another Patient, a drifter I call them, in the doorway in a wheelchair and she was "thumbs up" smiling and trying to talk. My first Patient said, "she can't talk no more" to which I replied, no she can't but she knows beautiful music when she hears it. I was invited to come back and play for Patient #1, and down the hallway I went with the drifter following me shouting and giving me thumbs up....totally wonderful.
Next on my list were 2 Palliative Care Patients in the same room. Patient B was outside the room and wanted no music. Patient A is static and does not communicate. I told her I was going to play music for her and she seemed frightened and moved against the wall. I brought in my harp and just played one string at a time. Then I played soft, rolled chords and finally I went into a Lullaby. She relaxed and closed her eyes...she remained that way the entire 30 minutes. About halfway through this, I noticed Patient B quietly slid into her bed and was laying there with her eyes closed also. When I left they were both sleeping like babies......totally peaceful
My next experience was amazing...to say the least. 2 Palliative Patients, Patient B on Oxygen and Patient A in a Recliner, staring at the ceiling. Patient B was asleep so I approached Patient A and told her who I was .....no response.....and that I was going to play Music for her....no response. So I sat down and started to play and I looked at her a few measures into the Tune and she had a smile on her face! So, ok this is a good sign...but then I noticed her foot was moving....even better....but the best was when her Doctor walked into the room and stopped next to me and said, "this is amazing...I have been her Doctor since January and I have NEVER seen her face like this" and as we are looking at her, she tries to speak. Now I have stopped playing because the Doctor is just shocked at the transformation of her Patient. As I stood up, the Patient tried to talk!!! I thought the Doctor was going to faint.....she hugged me and said, "I have goosebumps and this is going in her record, I have never seen anything like this before". So I sat down to play again and I heard Staff behind me but I never turned to look. I later found out the Doctor had gone downstairs and found the Director and brought her up to see for herself. As I was leaving the Dr. told me the Patient's Son was there and he wanted to talk to me. He was so wonderful, he comes every day at noon. He thanked me for my Service and I promised I would be back in 2 weeks. Now in this room, while all this was going on, Patient B was awake off and on. When I was leaving she said she was sorry she couldn't stay awake and I told her that even in her sleep she was hearing the Music and it was perfectly ok to sleep while I played for her...........totally Amazing!!
My final 2 Patients of the day were Palliative. Both Patients were lying down and I came in and introduced myself, asking if they would like some beautiful harp music. Patient B was unable to move, but he shook his head yes...Patient A, on the other hand, sat up and said, "are you dancing with me?" I cracked up and told him no dancing but I would play music for him. He told me he fought in WWII in a terrible battle. He told me he was proud of that. So my first Tune was God Bless America and he sang at the top of his lungs...with a nice voice too! He remembered the words to most of it and he tried to sing all the other tunes I played. He also told me I was Beautiful...gotta love this guy!! Patient B was lying on his side but his eyes were shifting back and forth and I could tell he loved the Music. Before I left I thanked Patient A for his service to our country. He said, "did you remember I served in WWII? wow that is great you remembered and you're welcome". I stopped at Patient B's bedside and asked if he enjoyed the Harp. He shook his head yes and I told him I would be back to play for him........totally gratifying
what a day...what a day
I haven't written in a couple weeks....I really don't know where to start because there has been so much news and so many wonderful experiences...but just too busy to get it written down. I think I will start with today and go backwards.
My first day doing Internship Hours at the Nursing Home. This is a small Facility, State Funded and a lot of indigent Patients there. Some of the Residents come from the Mental Health Facilities that our State felt the need to close, leaving these people on the street or worse. The Nursing Home was clean as a whistle and I found all the Staff that I interacted with were loving, caring and doing their job, it was a pleasure to Serve there.
So my first Patient was "hard to get along with" or so I was told, but you know the old saying, "Music soothes the savage beast" and so when she refused the Music that the Staff was trying to sell, I stepped in and told her she did not have to talk to me, or be moved to another location, that the music was just for her and no one else. Ok...she smiled and said I could stay for a few minutes. I started to play and her entire body just relaxed and sank into her recliner. She had lost that hard face and it was replaced with a peaceful smile. Occasionally she would say, "that is just beautiful". I played Familiar music for her at a pulse tempo of 70-80 bpm. I heard this "jabber" behind me as I was playing but didn't stop to look and stayed focused on my Patient. When I was finished I turned around to find another Patient, a drifter I call them, in the doorway in a wheelchair and she was "thumbs up" smiling and trying to talk. My first Patient said, "she can't talk no more" to which I replied, no she can't but she knows beautiful music when she hears it. I was invited to come back and play for Patient #1, and down the hallway I went with the drifter following me shouting and giving me thumbs up....totally wonderful.
Next on my list were 2 Palliative Care Patients in the same room. Patient B was outside the room and wanted no music. Patient A is static and does not communicate. I told her I was going to play music for her and she seemed frightened and moved against the wall. I brought in my harp and just played one string at a time. Then I played soft, rolled chords and finally I went into a Lullaby. She relaxed and closed her eyes...she remained that way the entire 30 minutes. About halfway through this, I noticed Patient B quietly slid into her bed and was laying there with her eyes closed also. When I left they were both sleeping like babies......totally peaceful
My next experience was amazing...to say the least. 2 Palliative Patients, Patient B on Oxygen and Patient A in a Recliner, staring at the ceiling. Patient B was asleep so I approached Patient A and told her who I was .....no response.....and that I was going to play Music for her....no response. So I sat down and started to play and I looked at her a few measures into the Tune and she had a smile on her face! So, ok this is a good sign...but then I noticed her foot was moving....even better....but the best was when her Doctor walked into the room and stopped next to me and said, "this is amazing...I have been her Doctor since January and I have NEVER seen her face like this" and as we are looking at her, she tries to speak. Now I have stopped playing because the Doctor is just shocked at the transformation of her Patient. As I stood up, the Patient tried to talk!!! I thought the Doctor was going to faint.....she hugged me and said, "I have goosebumps and this is going in her record, I have never seen anything like this before". So I sat down to play again and I heard Staff behind me but I never turned to look. I later found out the Doctor had gone downstairs and found the Director and brought her up to see for herself. As I was leaving the Dr. told me the Patient's Son was there and he wanted to talk to me. He was so wonderful, he comes every day at noon. He thanked me for my Service and I promised I would be back in 2 weeks. Now in this room, while all this was going on, Patient B was awake off and on. When I was leaving she said she was sorry she couldn't stay awake and I told her that even in her sleep she was hearing the Music and it was perfectly ok to sleep while I played for her...........totally Amazing!!
My final 2 Patients of the day were Palliative. Both Patients were lying down and I came in and introduced myself, asking if they would like some beautiful harp music. Patient B was unable to move, but he shook his head yes...Patient A, on the other hand, sat up and said, "are you dancing with me?" I cracked up and told him no dancing but I would play music for him. He told me he fought in WWII in a terrible battle. He told me he was proud of that. So my first Tune was God Bless America and he sang at the top of his lungs...with a nice voice too! He remembered the words to most of it and he tried to sing all the other tunes I played. He also told me I was Beautiful...gotta love this guy!! Patient B was lying on his side but his eyes were shifting back and forth and I could tell he loved the Music. Before I left I thanked Patient A for his service to our country. He said, "did you remember I served in WWII? wow that is great you remembered and you're welcome". I stopped at Patient B's bedside and asked if he enjoyed the Harp. He shook his head yes and I told him I would be back to play for him........totally gratifying
what a day...what a day
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Gratitude, my first Internship Hours
Thursday afternoon, September 26, 2013.....the warm fall day is starting to cool down to another one of those unbelievable evenings....I'll take it
I am so filled with Gratitude...for the simplest of things. I arrived at Infusion and the first Patient I introduced myself to was a beautiful soul that has been battling her Cancer for over 2 years. She has a personal blog of her journey and she told me, "when my journey ends, if I have helped one Nurse learn a procedure, or one Scientist to identify something groundbreaking in Cancer Research or one person to love, then my journey, regardless of how short my journey will be it has been worth it".
She went on to tell me she has heard me play Harp there before it it helps her forget she's sick. So I set up at her door and her Mom was with her. They started to joke around about her Mom singing along and when I left her she was sound asleep. When I came back 1 1/2 hrs later, she was still sleeping and her Mom was sleeping with her head on her daughters lap....precious.
My second recorded Internship was a nice man next door. I went in and handed him a Brochure explaining the Therapeutic Music Program and he thanked me, but I could tell he didn't want to be bothered. When you are sick, any kind of interaction takes too much energy. I turned around and told him I would play quietly and all he had to do was put his head back and forget about Infusion and think beautiful thoughts to go along with the music. He smiled and said, "ok I'll do that" and I left him 25 min later sleeping.
I was getting ready to move to the other side which is open Bays with curtains, so when I play there it's really for everyone. As I was gathering my stuff, one of the Nurses told me that a patient was coming in next Thursday for his last Infusion. He had asked about me last week, as I wasn't there. He told this Nurse, please if you see her tell her I will be looking for her in two weeks. Come Hell or High Water (my Mom's favorite saying) I will be there next week to congratulate him and perhaps give him a little farewell gift...something meaningful, to give him hope and strength as he continues his journey.
I moved to the other side of Infusion and got my usual "Yeah, she's here!" response...those Nurses on Thursdays are so fun! As I was setting up, I noticed the area was really hectic, loud and seemed agitated. So I played for about 30 minutes, really in the background of this environment that was anything but relaxed and peaceful. I actually started to get worried that the Music was not doing it's job or that my intention was not strong enough to make a difference. But just when I was doubtful, a patient across from me tried to get up and it took 2 Nurses to get her to her feet. She was more than sick, she was completely wasted. I was more determined than ever to make my intention stronger than the racket that was going on around me. After another 15 minutes...I had Peace, Relaxation, Distraction from Sickness and Pain and the talk was at a whisper and the Nurses were humming along.
Nothing changed to create this new environment except me. I became stronger, my music and the vibrations of the strings resonated more, but NOT louder....just with more direction. I am so happy to put my day into words. I will look back on these Postings and remember exactly how I felt on a given day. I am so grateful.
I am so filled with Gratitude...for the simplest of things. I arrived at Infusion and the first Patient I introduced myself to was a beautiful soul that has been battling her Cancer for over 2 years. She has a personal blog of her journey and she told me, "when my journey ends, if I have helped one Nurse learn a procedure, or one Scientist to identify something groundbreaking in Cancer Research or one person to love, then my journey, regardless of how short my journey will be it has been worth it".
She went on to tell me she has heard me play Harp there before it it helps her forget she's sick. So I set up at her door and her Mom was with her. They started to joke around about her Mom singing along and when I left her she was sound asleep. When I came back 1 1/2 hrs later, she was still sleeping and her Mom was sleeping with her head on her daughters lap....precious.
My second recorded Internship was a nice man next door. I went in and handed him a Brochure explaining the Therapeutic Music Program and he thanked me, but I could tell he didn't want to be bothered. When you are sick, any kind of interaction takes too much energy. I turned around and told him I would play quietly and all he had to do was put his head back and forget about Infusion and think beautiful thoughts to go along with the music. He smiled and said, "ok I'll do that" and I left him 25 min later sleeping.
I was getting ready to move to the other side which is open Bays with curtains, so when I play there it's really for everyone. As I was gathering my stuff, one of the Nurses told me that a patient was coming in next Thursday for his last Infusion. He had asked about me last week, as I wasn't there. He told this Nurse, please if you see her tell her I will be looking for her in two weeks. Come Hell or High Water (my Mom's favorite saying) I will be there next week to congratulate him and perhaps give him a little farewell gift...something meaningful, to give him hope and strength as he continues his journey.
I moved to the other side of Infusion and got my usual "Yeah, she's here!" response...those Nurses on Thursdays are so fun! As I was setting up, I noticed the area was really hectic, loud and seemed agitated. So I played for about 30 minutes, really in the background of this environment that was anything but relaxed and peaceful. I actually started to get worried that the Music was not doing it's job or that my intention was not strong enough to make a difference. But just when I was doubtful, a patient across from me tried to get up and it took 2 Nurses to get her to her feet. She was more than sick, she was completely wasted. I was more determined than ever to make my intention stronger than the racket that was going on around me. After another 15 minutes...I had Peace, Relaxation, Distraction from Sickness and Pain and the talk was at a whisper and the Nurses were humming along.
Nothing changed to create this new environment except me. I became stronger, my music and the vibrations of the strings resonated more, but NOT louder....just with more direction. I am so happy to put my day into words. I will look back on these Postings and remember exactly how I felt on a given day. I am so grateful.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Finding my Way
Wednesday Afternoon, September 25, 2013, just another PERFECT day of warm sunshine and cool nights
It's been a couple weeks since I last did any writing. I had some wonderful news, I passed my Level 1 Exams without a hitch and received my Course Materials for Level 2 last weekend. Yipeee here I go again. After going over the information, I am confident I will finish up and become Certified on a timely basis. The reading so far has been just as interesting as the other requirements. I have not found anything that I've read boring or slow. Just the opposite, I can't get through these books fast enough. The Body Mind Research that is being done is just amazing, who knew?
I thought I knew what I was going to do for my Internship Hours and where I was going to volunteer but as life would have it, I was able to stay at Infusion and collect hours there as well as Assisted Living. I also learned that the time I spend playing my Harp for my Companion Angel at Assisted Living and also her roommate will also count as Internship Hours. My Shift as a Companion is 3 days a week and starts at 2pm....I will go in early and do some Internship Hours for other Residents before I start my shift. I think I can knock out my required hours fairly quickly.
Also I got a call from Assisted Living around the corner from me and I was offered a paid Session once a month...keep them coming, I'll take all the Sessions you can throw at me! So between the 2 Assisted Living monthly Sessions, 3 day a week Companion, Piano Teacher on Wednesday and Infusion every Thursday...I have left myself enough time to read, study and practice practice practice.
I am finding most of the Assisted Living Facilities see this as entertainment rather than therapeutic music, however there are the exceptions, which I ran into last week. They all love to have you Volunteer your time but are slow to see that money is well spent to provide this service for their residents. Education needs to start at the top where decisions on funding begin....then hopefully there is a trickle down effect? Like anyone else providing a Service, I need to get paid for what I do, but if I ever become wealthy, I'll do it for free!!! I am slowly finding my way in this ground breaking field.
It's been a couple weeks since I last did any writing. I had some wonderful news, I passed my Level 1 Exams without a hitch and received my Course Materials for Level 2 last weekend. Yipeee here I go again. After going over the information, I am confident I will finish up and become Certified on a timely basis. The reading so far has been just as interesting as the other requirements. I have not found anything that I've read boring or slow. Just the opposite, I can't get through these books fast enough. The Body Mind Research that is being done is just amazing, who knew?
I thought I knew what I was going to do for my Internship Hours and where I was going to volunteer but as life would have it, I was able to stay at Infusion and collect hours there as well as Assisted Living. I also learned that the time I spend playing my Harp for my Companion Angel at Assisted Living and also her roommate will also count as Internship Hours. My Shift as a Companion is 3 days a week and starts at 2pm....I will go in early and do some Internship Hours for other Residents before I start my shift. I think I can knock out my required hours fairly quickly.
Also I got a call from Assisted Living around the corner from me and I was offered a paid Session once a month...keep them coming, I'll take all the Sessions you can throw at me! So between the 2 Assisted Living monthly Sessions, 3 day a week Companion, Piano Teacher on Wednesday and Infusion every Thursday...I have left myself enough time to read, study and practice practice practice.
I am finding most of the Assisted Living Facilities see this as entertainment rather than therapeutic music, however there are the exceptions, which I ran into last week. They all love to have you Volunteer your time but are slow to see that money is well spent to provide this service for their residents. Education needs to start at the top where decisions on funding begin....then hopefully there is a trickle down effect? Like anyone else providing a Service, I need to get paid for what I do, but if I ever become wealthy, I'll do it for free!!! I am slowly finding my way in this ground breaking field.
Friday, September 13, 2013
NOT an Earth Angel
Friday the 13, 2013 YIKES!!!! It's a cooler morning after some major storms....the air is nice and clean
I thought I would write down an experience I had. I love what I do and so far, in every setting I have worked as a Therapeutic Musician I have been surrounded by Earth Angels. They are the Angels that watch over us here on Earth and, it's just my opinion, but they don't know they are Earth Angels. The amount of love and compassion that I see for those who are sick and dying is amazing. Besides loving and compassionate care, these Earth Angels have a special touch and special looks that radiate from them.
So, with that said I am going to move on to my Story. At a particular place that I play, on DAY 1, I recognized an employee when I entered the Facility. You know how that is, you both look at each other and think, "I know her" and "she knows me". But my next feeling came just as quickly..."she is NOT a nice person". To this day I still don't know her name....but I'm gonna find it out real soon!
So I smiled and spoke to the small gathering of employees with a friendly "Good Morning", to which I got a friendly response from everyone except this person. She looked at me and walked away. Ok, yes I am sensitive, but I sucked it up and went about my work. It's been months now, I still say Good Morning every time I see her, and still no response. I might add that after watching her in action at her job, I don't think she is an Earth Angel...perhaps just the opposite.
Up to this point, it has not been uncomfortable for me. We both have our jobs and we don't have to interact. But I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how I know her. It must be through our Kids or the Pool we took them to or something like that. We've been in this neighborhood since 1977...I have crossed paths with a lot of people over the years. I just don't have "enemies" I am not confrontational and I don't burn bridges. I can't, for the life of me, figure this one out.
So back to my story...I am playing my Harp in a crowded area, but all clinical areas are small and crowded. I am always diligent in making myself as small as possible. Totally out of the way so the activities can come and go around me with little effort. All of a sudden this NOT earth angel comes tearing towards me with a patient in a wheelchair and slams my Harp...catching my phone case that is at my side, in the wheels of the wheelchair. What happened next blew me away...instead of stopping immediately and as least acknowledging what was happening, she looked right at me, muttered something under her breath and continued to push past me...taking me off my stool because my phone case was in the wheels. So I jumped up and said...wait wait...my case is caught in the wheel...to which I got another glare and mutter. This was hateful, plain and simple.
So, no one, other than perhaps the old gentleman in the wheelchair, was even aware of this happening. She pushed past and kept going and I stood there dumbfounded. If there should be another incident, I will address her directly. If necessary I will go to her superior and mine. For now, I will continue to be as friendly and polite as I have always been to her...but with a more watchful eye...
I thought I would write down an experience I had. I love what I do and so far, in every setting I have worked as a Therapeutic Musician I have been surrounded by Earth Angels. They are the Angels that watch over us here on Earth and, it's just my opinion, but they don't know they are Earth Angels. The amount of love and compassion that I see for those who are sick and dying is amazing. Besides loving and compassionate care, these Earth Angels have a special touch and special looks that radiate from them.
So, with that said I am going to move on to my Story. At a particular place that I play, on DAY 1, I recognized an employee when I entered the Facility. You know how that is, you both look at each other and think, "I know her" and "she knows me". But my next feeling came just as quickly..."she is NOT a nice person". To this day I still don't know her name....but I'm gonna find it out real soon!
So I smiled and spoke to the small gathering of employees with a friendly "Good Morning", to which I got a friendly response from everyone except this person. She looked at me and walked away. Ok, yes I am sensitive, but I sucked it up and went about my work. It's been months now, I still say Good Morning every time I see her, and still no response. I might add that after watching her in action at her job, I don't think she is an Earth Angel...perhaps just the opposite.
Up to this point, it has not been uncomfortable for me. We both have our jobs and we don't have to interact. But I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how I know her. It must be through our Kids or the Pool we took them to or something like that. We've been in this neighborhood since 1977...I have crossed paths with a lot of people over the years. I just don't have "enemies" I am not confrontational and I don't burn bridges. I can't, for the life of me, figure this one out.
So back to my story...I am playing my Harp in a crowded area, but all clinical areas are small and crowded. I am always diligent in making myself as small as possible. Totally out of the way so the activities can come and go around me with little effort. All of a sudden this NOT earth angel comes tearing towards me with a patient in a wheelchair and slams my Harp...catching my phone case that is at my side, in the wheels of the wheelchair. What happened next blew me away...instead of stopping immediately and as least acknowledging what was happening, she looked right at me, muttered something under her breath and continued to push past me...taking me off my stool because my phone case was in the wheels. So I jumped up and said...wait wait...my case is caught in the wheel...to which I got another glare and mutter. This was hateful, plain and simple.
So, no one, other than perhaps the old gentleman in the wheelchair, was even aware of this happening. She pushed past and kept going and I stood there dumbfounded. If there should be another incident, I will address her directly. If necessary I will go to her superior and mine. For now, I will continue to be as friendly and polite as I have always been to her...but with a more watchful eye...
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Testing, 1 2
Wednesday morning, September 4, 2013 the most beautiful morning...cool...breezy and the bluest sky
Yesterday marked a huge milestone for me....I completed all the Level 1 Requirements and I am ready for my 2 exams. I received a copy of the email from my Mentor to the Director of the Harp for Healing Program and I am proud to say it was a "glowing" report. She was so helpful and kind with her reviews of my music and yet she kept her standards high and I appreciate that so much. She also mentioned she has never had a Student finish these requirements in 3 months...whoooohoooo! To this I owe my Husband Tad....he is most supportive and such a believer of Therapeutic Music. He has reaped the benefits of my evening practices while he does his work on his laptop. He reminds me of the Giant in Jack in the Beanstalk. If I wasn't playing while he was working he would holler..."Harpist! I want my music!"
I believe I will do fine on the exams and this opens the door for countable Internship hours. I will be shadowing my Supervisor next week at Arundel Medical Center during her Bedside Harping. Actual Bedside Harping to an individual Patient is the ONLY time that is credited to your Internship Requirements. I am sad that playing at Infusion will not count, but I am committed to that Unit of the Hospital so I will continue to volunteer once a week there.
Level 2 of the Program is also exciting. I have already started my first book...."Molecules of Emotion"...very interesting so far. I can honestly say, all the required reading in Level 1 was exciting and never boring! But what I'm most excited about in Level 2 is the Improv Skills I will develop. I am such a strict Note Reader, and was never taught nor did I attempt to become better at Improv. This is a very important tool for a Clinical Musician. To be able to flow into the unknown and still keep a pulse rhythm in your Music is a skill I am not familiar with .....YET! Still so much to learn but I am pumped!!!
Yesterday marked a huge milestone for me....I completed all the Level 1 Requirements and I am ready for my 2 exams. I received a copy of the email from my Mentor to the Director of the Harp for Healing Program and I am proud to say it was a "glowing" report. She was so helpful and kind with her reviews of my music and yet she kept her standards high and I appreciate that so much. She also mentioned she has never had a Student finish these requirements in 3 months...whoooohoooo! To this I owe my Husband Tad....he is most supportive and such a believer of Therapeutic Music. He has reaped the benefits of my evening practices while he does his work on his laptop. He reminds me of the Giant in Jack in the Beanstalk. If I wasn't playing while he was working he would holler..."Harpist! I want my music!"
I believe I will do fine on the exams and this opens the door for countable Internship hours. I will be shadowing my Supervisor next week at Arundel Medical Center during her Bedside Harping. Actual Bedside Harping to an individual Patient is the ONLY time that is credited to your Internship Requirements. I am sad that playing at Infusion will not count, but I am committed to that Unit of the Hospital so I will continue to volunteer once a week there.
Level 2 of the Program is also exciting. I have already started my first book...."Molecules of Emotion"...very interesting so far. I can honestly say, all the required reading in Level 1 was exciting and never boring! But what I'm most excited about in Level 2 is the Improv Skills I will develop. I am such a strict Note Reader, and was never taught nor did I attempt to become better at Improv. This is a very important tool for a Clinical Musician. To be able to flow into the unknown and still keep a pulse rhythm in your Music is a skill I am not familiar with .....YET! Still so much to learn but I am pumped!!!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Wine and Cheese anyone?
Saturday morning, August 31, 2013....hot and humid day, perfect for Labor Day Weekend. My Daughter, Cindy, was born on Labor Day in 1971....it put new meaning into the word "Labor".
A few weeks ago, I received a phone call inviting me to play my Harp for a 2 Hour Open House at an Assisted Living for their Wine & Cheese Event. This Event was open to all levels of the Senior Living Community and was intended to encourage residents to sign up for the long-term care at the Reminiscence Unit. Well, this was a paying gig, so how could I refuse. I am NOT a performer. I have never been comfortable in front of people, but somehow when I play Therapeutic Music on my Harp, I fall immediately into my Service Mode, rather than the Performance Mode.
I have been a little nervous about this Gig, but determined to work through the anxiety....after all, it's a Wine & Cheese sort of thing....people coming and going, chatting over my Harp background music. I wasn't on stage or anything....people could stand around me and listen for a few minutes and then move on, I am used to that at the Hospital and I knew I could keep my focus and do this.
I spent the better part of 2 weeks downloading copies of Music, specifically from their Genera. I found some beautiful oldies but goodies that my Grandma and my Mom would sing. I am so used to playing with"no fluff" in Therapeutic Music, that I worked on adding lots of fluff and flair to these pieces. I am mentioning this because I did not show up unprepared, just the opposite.
I arrived about 30 minutes early to set up and tune. The Receptionist at the front desk said, "oh good, there she is, the Harpist! We have people coming from all over the community". Ok, now I start to sweat. Oh, did I mention it was 100o in the Facility? I let myself into the Unit with the special code and was greeted with lots of smiles and warm welcomes from the Staff and in particular the Activities Director of that Reminiscence Unit, who invited me to play. Here is where I start to panic.....
I walk into the large living area on one side of the Unit and there is about 40 people already seated in chairs and wheelchairs....the place was packed and there was a little area left open for me...yep, you guessed it....I was on stage and the main attraction. OMG I wanted to just faint. A little echo in my ears, beads of sweat rolling down my neck. Where the hell was the Wine & Cheese??? How on earth could anyone visit the Unit and chat...there was no place to stand, never mind walk? Why did the Activities Director fail to tell me that on the Flyer they sent around a month ago, I was listed as the Harpist giving a Concert????? Good Grief, now what?
Well, I sucked it up and started to unpack my Harp, while all eyes were burning holes in me. I saw my Gommie across the room and she waved and smiled at me. It melted my heart and I had to go give her a hug. When I got back to my Harp, one of the Residents I had met before while visiting Gommie, was sitting on my right. She didn't communicate, but she was all stares and very interested in what I was doing. I was starting to feel a little better about all these surprises. Here's a kicker....when I stood my Harp up and turned it towards the crowd, there was an "awwwwwww" that filled the room! They just loved to look at the Harp.
I pulled myself together after Tuning and started to play...one Tune after another. The Residents and visitors were softly singing....and then as I played they sang louder and faster. Oh no, not faster....where the heck was I on the page of music???? At one point I was totally lost and I stopped and looked up at them and said, "ok, I am lost in my Music, let's try this again and we will sing a little slower". HA! it worked.....we slowed down and I realized I was in control of the tempo, not them. I kept my Tunes at a moderate tempo, despite many of them racing through the Songs. The most fun was when I asked if there were any Birthdays in August...they just looked at me. How about September, any Birthdays in September? October?....ok...lets go the other way, how about July? A hand went up and Hallelujah we had a Birthday. They all sang at the top of their lungs and it was so much fun, we did it 3 times!
Although I had a few mistakes here and there, it really went just fine. I am very hard on myself and expect perfection, but I had to let that go or I would have never gotten through the afternoon. I played for almost 2 hours without a break and while I was packing up, one of the Husbands came over to me and said, "did you see their reactions to your Harp?" "My wife has been here 3 years and that woman next to her in the wheelchair, I have never heard her utter a word, but today she was singing!" "Your Harp has such a power over us today". When I left the Senior Living I felt really good about my personal growth that I was forced to do that afternoon. I felt like I had left those beautiful people with joy in their hearts and an afternoon of fun, laughter and song. The Staff brought around Wine & Cheese, Cookies and Fruit to each of the Residents while I played. It was a very emotional day for me and you can be sure when the next "gig" offer comes, I will be asking for great detail before I accept the job!!! Now, back to my comfort zone......Therapeutic Music.
A few weeks ago, I received a phone call inviting me to play my Harp for a 2 Hour Open House at an Assisted Living for their Wine & Cheese Event. This Event was open to all levels of the Senior Living Community and was intended to encourage residents to sign up for the long-term care at the Reminiscence Unit. Well, this was a paying gig, so how could I refuse. I am NOT a performer. I have never been comfortable in front of people, but somehow when I play Therapeutic Music on my Harp, I fall immediately into my Service Mode, rather than the Performance Mode.
I have been a little nervous about this Gig, but determined to work through the anxiety....after all, it's a Wine & Cheese sort of thing....people coming and going, chatting over my Harp background music. I wasn't on stage or anything....people could stand around me and listen for a few minutes and then move on, I am used to that at the Hospital and I knew I could keep my focus and do this.
I spent the better part of 2 weeks downloading copies of Music, specifically from their Genera. I found some beautiful oldies but goodies that my Grandma and my Mom would sing. I am so used to playing with"no fluff" in Therapeutic Music, that I worked on adding lots of fluff and flair to these pieces. I am mentioning this because I did not show up unprepared, just the opposite.
I arrived about 30 minutes early to set up and tune. The Receptionist at the front desk said, "oh good, there she is, the Harpist! We have people coming from all over the community". Ok, now I start to sweat. Oh, did I mention it was 100o in the Facility? I let myself into the Unit with the special code and was greeted with lots of smiles and warm welcomes from the Staff and in particular the Activities Director of that Reminiscence Unit, who invited me to play. Here is where I start to panic.....
I walk into the large living area on one side of the Unit and there is about 40 people already seated in chairs and wheelchairs....the place was packed and there was a little area left open for me...yep, you guessed it....I was on stage and the main attraction. OMG I wanted to just faint. A little echo in my ears, beads of sweat rolling down my neck. Where the hell was the Wine & Cheese??? How on earth could anyone visit the Unit and chat...there was no place to stand, never mind walk? Why did the Activities Director fail to tell me that on the Flyer they sent around a month ago, I was listed as the Harpist giving a Concert????? Good Grief, now what?
Well, I sucked it up and started to unpack my Harp, while all eyes were burning holes in me. I saw my Gommie across the room and she waved and smiled at me. It melted my heart and I had to go give her a hug. When I got back to my Harp, one of the Residents I had met before while visiting Gommie, was sitting on my right. She didn't communicate, but she was all stares and very interested in what I was doing. I was starting to feel a little better about all these surprises. Here's a kicker....when I stood my Harp up and turned it towards the crowd, there was an "awwwwwww" that filled the room! They just loved to look at the Harp.
I pulled myself together after Tuning and started to play...one Tune after another. The Residents and visitors were softly singing....and then as I played they sang louder and faster. Oh no, not faster....where the heck was I on the page of music???? At one point I was totally lost and I stopped and looked up at them and said, "ok, I am lost in my Music, let's try this again and we will sing a little slower". HA! it worked.....we slowed down and I realized I was in control of the tempo, not them. I kept my Tunes at a moderate tempo, despite many of them racing through the Songs. The most fun was when I asked if there were any Birthdays in August...they just looked at me. How about September, any Birthdays in September? October?....ok...lets go the other way, how about July? A hand went up and Hallelujah we had a Birthday. They all sang at the top of their lungs and it was so much fun, we did it 3 times!
Although I had a few mistakes here and there, it really went just fine. I am very hard on myself and expect perfection, but I had to let that go or I would have never gotten through the afternoon. I played for almost 2 hours without a break and while I was packing up, one of the Husbands came over to me and said, "did you see their reactions to your Harp?" "My wife has been here 3 years and that woman next to her in the wheelchair, I have never heard her utter a word, but today she was singing!" "Your Harp has such a power over us today". When I left the Senior Living I felt really good about my personal growth that I was forced to do that afternoon. I felt like I had left those beautiful people with joy in their hearts and an afternoon of fun, laughter and song. The Staff brought around Wine & Cheese, Cookies and Fruit to each of the Residents while I played. It was a very emotional day for me and you can be sure when the next "gig" offer comes, I will be asking for great detail before I accept the job!!! Now, back to my comfort zone......Therapeutic Music.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
There's a Lot to Learn
Thursday morning, August 29, 2013...muggy, dark and misty...but I hear the Sun is coming out soon!
2 weeks ago I bombarded my Mentor with a series of Reports to review and also various musical clips as a sample of what kind of Music I would play for a particular situation, be it Elder Care, Children, Critical Care...etc. I hadn't heard a word back from her and was considering contacting her one more time, just to make sure she was ok. Last night, she bombarded me with her responses!! lol
So my Reports got a glowing review, although she did catch a spelling mistake in someone's name. Spelling...that is still hanging over my head 50 years later...good grief. I was pleased with her response and was anxiously waiting for an email regarding my Music Clips. Hopefully they were going to be acceptable so I could move on and complete Level 1 to start my Internship.
Right before bed, I heard a series of Mail coming in to my phone....this could be it!! Yes, they were from my Mentor. She had responded to each clip individually. First one, Palliative Care Music- Unfamiliar and Non-Rhythmic. She loved it! It was again, a glowing review, Yipeeeeeee
Next, Children's Music - Familiar and Pulse Tempo. There were 3 tunes, Lullaby, This Old Man and Jesus Loves Me. Her response was not as praising...I have to remove Jesus Loves Me (I can have no Christian Hymns on my CD....who knew???) Lullaby was at a good tempo, This Old Man could go faster, as Children have a faster Heartbeat than Adults.....REDO!
General Music, 3 Tunes, Over the Rainbow, Love me Tender and Ode to Joy. They all fit the category of General and they all were played at an acceptable Pulse Tempo. Her only recommendation was for Ode to Joy I used a running upward chording to reach the top of my Harp and it seemed to her to be a bit "showy" for a Service Session. She thought it gave the piece a "performance" feel. I went back and listened to it again. I tend to disagree. If it were a Glissando, perhaps, but I felt my Chording was right on track in tempo and filled in several beats of silence. I am happy with it.
Unfamiliar Music, 3 Tunes. I picked 3 Celtic Tunes that I thought only another Musician would know. She was thrilled with the Selections, although she thought all of them were too fast. They ranged in the high 70-80's BPM...too fast for a sick person to digest. REDO!
Elder Care, 3 Tunes, Danny Boy, Jesus Loves Me and Amazing Grace......YEP, you guessed it...no Christian Hymns. I can keep Danny Boy but need to slow it down to a crawl....REDO!
So I have a lot of recording to do this weekend. I am so grateful for her feedback and she made many good criticisms on each Clip. I realize these are subject to opinion, but she has lots of experience in this field and is fully qualified to request these changes from me. I am going to shadow my supervisor at the Hospital on one of her shifts and I am thinking she will have her own way of approaching Bedside Therapeutic Music, however it should be very close to how I am being trained for this Service. I really like this program I am in as it's Founder feels the Internship really allows you to experience first hand the situations and the environments that you will be in, while you continue with your Courses.
I am so close and yet so far from my Internship. Unfortunately, NOHING I have done over this last year, counts towards my Internship Hours for my Course. You can not count any hours until you complete Level 1. I am so grateful to have these opportunities, as they are all learning experiences for me. There is a lot to learn.
2 weeks ago I bombarded my Mentor with a series of Reports to review and also various musical clips as a sample of what kind of Music I would play for a particular situation, be it Elder Care, Children, Critical Care...etc. I hadn't heard a word back from her and was considering contacting her one more time, just to make sure she was ok. Last night, she bombarded me with her responses!! lol
So my Reports got a glowing review, although she did catch a spelling mistake in someone's name. Spelling...that is still hanging over my head 50 years later...good grief. I was pleased with her response and was anxiously waiting for an email regarding my Music Clips. Hopefully they were going to be acceptable so I could move on and complete Level 1 to start my Internship.
Right before bed, I heard a series of Mail coming in to my phone....this could be it!! Yes, they were from my Mentor. She had responded to each clip individually. First one, Palliative Care Music- Unfamiliar and Non-Rhythmic. She loved it! It was again, a glowing review, Yipeeeeeee
Next, Children's Music - Familiar and Pulse Tempo. There were 3 tunes, Lullaby, This Old Man and Jesus Loves Me. Her response was not as praising...I have to remove Jesus Loves Me (I can have no Christian Hymns on my CD....who knew???) Lullaby was at a good tempo, This Old Man could go faster, as Children have a faster Heartbeat than Adults.....REDO!
General Music, 3 Tunes, Over the Rainbow, Love me Tender and Ode to Joy. They all fit the category of General and they all were played at an acceptable Pulse Tempo. Her only recommendation was for Ode to Joy I used a running upward chording to reach the top of my Harp and it seemed to her to be a bit "showy" for a Service Session. She thought it gave the piece a "performance" feel. I went back and listened to it again. I tend to disagree. If it were a Glissando, perhaps, but I felt my Chording was right on track in tempo and filled in several beats of silence. I am happy with it.
Unfamiliar Music, 3 Tunes. I picked 3 Celtic Tunes that I thought only another Musician would know. She was thrilled with the Selections, although she thought all of them were too fast. They ranged in the high 70-80's BPM...too fast for a sick person to digest. REDO!
Elder Care, 3 Tunes, Danny Boy, Jesus Loves Me and Amazing Grace......YEP, you guessed it...no Christian Hymns. I can keep Danny Boy but need to slow it down to a crawl....REDO!
So I have a lot of recording to do this weekend. I am so grateful for her feedback and she made many good criticisms on each Clip. I realize these are subject to opinion, but she has lots of experience in this field and is fully qualified to request these changes from me. I am going to shadow my supervisor at the Hospital on one of her shifts and I am thinking she will have her own way of approaching Bedside Therapeutic Music, however it should be very close to how I am being trained for this Service. I really like this program I am in as it's Founder feels the Internship really allows you to experience first hand the situations and the environments that you will be in, while you continue with your Courses.
I am so close and yet so far from my Internship. Unfortunately, NOHING I have done over this last year, counts towards my Internship Hours for my Course. You can not count any hours until you complete Level 1. I am so grateful to have these opportunities, as they are all learning experiences for me. There is a lot to learn.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Hand-in-Hand with Medicine
Wednesday afternoon, August 21, 2013...Summer is Back!! 90o and Muggy....
What a wonderful Session at Future Care. When I first got there, my favorite Lady was in the Dayroom with other Residents, listening to the TV. I've seen most of the Residents in that area that are mobile enough to be taken to the Dayroom. One lady I love in particular, she has a Baby Doll that sits in front of her on the table. She doesn't make many noises, but she smiles at this Doll, it's adorable. I can understand this and I bet she was a wonderful Mom.
Favorite Lady was happy to have me there, big grin when I told her I was there to play the Harp. (she is Blind). I haven't been there in 2 weeks so I was very worried when I went to the room to set up my Harp. Her Roommate was in very bad condition the last time I saw her so I was relieved to see her name still on the door. Much to my surprise, she was wide awake and alert, chatting away! Oh, I was so happy to see this. She was so thrilled I was there to play the Harp and she motioned for me to come closer so she could tell me, "another lady comes to play her harp but I don't like her music....I love your Music, but she is a nice lady"....hahahaha I cracked up!
After setting up and tuning, I had an Aid bring my fav lady into her room. I totally changed up my Tunes. I downloaded many new ones and added several Hymns. The first Tune was "Holy, Holy, Holy"....by the second time through she had her head back, eyes closed and a beautiful smile on her face. She is always so ridged that it's a thrill to see her body just relax and sink into the wheelchair. I told her roommate that I would put her to sleep quickly and she said, "nope, not today, I love your Music"....30 minutes later she was still awake! She never slept the entire 45 minutes. An Aid came in and we were asked to leave for about 30 minutes and I hadn't played my fav lady's favorite song, "Somewhere over the Rainbow" so I suggested to her companion that we take her to the Dayroom.
Here's where it gets good....the same Residents still sitting there listening to the TV...so we turned it down and I set up my Harp. You know the Lady that doesn't speak or make noises....YEP...she was trying to sing. I almost cried, it was so adorable and the entire time she was looking at the Baby Doll. There was a Gentleman in a wheelchair that was rocking back and forth to the point that we needed to move him before he ran into the Harp....he was loving the Music.
What I would do to be rich enough not to have to be paid for this Service. I wish I could spend everyday moving from bed to bed, giving peace, relaxation and a renewed spirit to all those in need. I have a very hard time understanding the lack of this basic need these Residents have. In other Cultures, Music goes hand in hand with Medicine...how did Western Medicine move so far away from other Cultures???? I want to be part of the Era of NEW Medicine, one that teaches every Doctor, Nurse, Caretaker, Therapist and even Home Companions about the value of Therapeutic Music.
What a wonderful Session at Future Care. When I first got there, my favorite Lady was in the Dayroom with other Residents, listening to the TV. I've seen most of the Residents in that area that are mobile enough to be taken to the Dayroom. One lady I love in particular, she has a Baby Doll that sits in front of her on the table. She doesn't make many noises, but she smiles at this Doll, it's adorable. I can understand this and I bet she was a wonderful Mom.
Favorite Lady was happy to have me there, big grin when I told her I was there to play the Harp. (she is Blind). I haven't been there in 2 weeks so I was very worried when I went to the room to set up my Harp. Her Roommate was in very bad condition the last time I saw her so I was relieved to see her name still on the door. Much to my surprise, she was wide awake and alert, chatting away! Oh, I was so happy to see this. She was so thrilled I was there to play the Harp and she motioned for me to come closer so she could tell me, "another lady comes to play her harp but I don't like her music....I love your Music, but she is a nice lady"....hahahaha I cracked up!
After setting up and tuning, I had an Aid bring my fav lady into her room. I totally changed up my Tunes. I downloaded many new ones and added several Hymns. The first Tune was "Holy, Holy, Holy"....by the second time through she had her head back, eyes closed and a beautiful smile on her face. She is always so ridged that it's a thrill to see her body just relax and sink into the wheelchair. I told her roommate that I would put her to sleep quickly and she said, "nope, not today, I love your Music"....30 minutes later she was still awake! She never slept the entire 45 minutes. An Aid came in and we were asked to leave for about 30 minutes and I hadn't played my fav lady's favorite song, "Somewhere over the Rainbow" so I suggested to her companion that we take her to the Dayroom.
Here's where it gets good....the same Residents still sitting there listening to the TV...so we turned it down and I set up my Harp. You know the Lady that doesn't speak or make noises....YEP...she was trying to sing. I almost cried, it was so adorable and the entire time she was looking at the Baby Doll. There was a Gentleman in a wheelchair that was rocking back and forth to the point that we needed to move him before he ran into the Harp....he was loving the Music.
What I would do to be rich enough not to have to be paid for this Service. I wish I could spend everyday moving from bed to bed, giving peace, relaxation and a renewed spirit to all those in need. I have a very hard time understanding the lack of this basic need these Residents have. In other Cultures, Music goes hand in hand with Medicine...how did Western Medicine move so far away from other Cultures???? I want to be part of the Era of NEW Medicine, one that teaches every Doctor, Nurse, Caretaker, Therapist and even Home Companions about the value of Therapeutic Music.
Friday, August 16, 2013
The Beauty of Technology
Friday morning, Aug 16, 2013....8:45 am and the 4th Glorious day in a row...geeze I hope there are no "paybacks" for this
I was thinking last night how wonderful it is to use my IPAD for all my Therapeutic Music. I haven't been out to the Hospital or Assisted Living at all this week. I've taken advantage of the deck work and stayed available to run downstairs and pick up dropped wood, spacers, pencils, nails etc. I've also spent a couple hours a day organizing my IPAD music into categories. I have an IPAD scanner that scans in a piece of music and saves it as a jpeg in my Photos. From the Photos album you can crop/rotate etc, just like you can for a Photo.
So from this Photo Album of Music, I created separate albums for the following:
"Assisted Living"
"General Harp Music"
"Children's Music"
"Unfamiliar" (used for Palliative Care Patients)
"Holiday Music"
"Popular Music"
"Love Songs"
"Religious Music" (in this Album I try to make it reflect all Religions)
Many of these Albums have some of the same Tunes, like Children's/Assisted Living/General Harp Music might all have "Happy Birthday" or "Twinkle Twinkle". Once the music is transferred over to an Album, then I go into that Album and arrange each Tune, according to what musical key it's written in. I start with the Key of F (Bb) and all Tunes that are in F go first....then a flip of one Lever and I return the Bb to a B which creates the Key of C (no sharps or flats)...all tunes in the Key of C are together and then with another flip of a Lever, I raise the F to an F# creating the Key of G....once again I raise another Lever from C to C# and I now have all tunes in the Key of D together!
For the Lever Harp, it's important to plan ahead so that your raising and lowering of the Lever doesn't slow you down or cause you to stop playing. While with a Patient, you want a constant rhythm to keep the heart rate and breathing steady. Now, all this is great but there are still "accidentals" in some of the music, these are Sharps and Flats that are not in the Key Signature of the Music....you have to get speedy and accurate and most of all, REMEMBER to put that Lever back in it's original spot!
This is all extremely time consuming, but I am almost done creating the Albums....then back into them to arrange the progression of Music into each Key. I am determined to finish today.
Now, once this is complete...when a new piece of music is scanned into the IPAD, I can move it to the proper Album...or two. In the ideal Therapeutic Music world, you would have all these Tunes memorized, and some of them I do have memorized, but not enough to leave my IPAD at home, lol It's just one easy swipe across my IPAD into the next Tune.....there is a smooth transition thanks to the beauty of technology......
I was thinking last night how wonderful it is to use my IPAD for all my Therapeutic Music. I haven't been out to the Hospital or Assisted Living at all this week. I've taken advantage of the deck work and stayed available to run downstairs and pick up dropped wood, spacers, pencils, nails etc. I've also spent a couple hours a day organizing my IPAD music into categories. I have an IPAD scanner that scans in a piece of music and saves it as a jpeg in my Photos. From the Photos album you can crop/rotate etc, just like you can for a Photo.
So from this Photo Album of Music, I created separate albums for the following:
"Assisted Living"
"General Harp Music"
"Children's Music"
"Unfamiliar" (used for Palliative Care Patients)
"Holiday Music"
"Popular Music"
"Love Songs"
"Religious Music" (in this Album I try to make it reflect all Religions)
Many of these Albums have some of the same Tunes, like Children's/Assisted Living/General Harp Music might all have "Happy Birthday" or "Twinkle Twinkle". Once the music is transferred over to an Album, then I go into that Album and arrange each Tune, according to what musical key it's written in. I start with the Key of F (Bb) and all Tunes that are in F go first....then a flip of one Lever and I return the Bb to a B which creates the Key of C (no sharps or flats)...all tunes in the Key of C are together and then with another flip of a Lever, I raise the F to an F# creating the Key of G....once again I raise another Lever from C to C# and I now have all tunes in the Key of D together!
For the Lever Harp, it's important to plan ahead so that your raising and lowering of the Lever doesn't slow you down or cause you to stop playing. While with a Patient, you want a constant rhythm to keep the heart rate and breathing steady. Now, all this is great but there are still "accidentals" in some of the music, these are Sharps and Flats that are not in the Key Signature of the Music....you have to get speedy and accurate and most of all, REMEMBER to put that Lever back in it's original spot!
This is all extremely time consuming, but I am almost done creating the Albums....then back into them to arrange the progression of Music into each Key. I am determined to finish today.
Now, once this is complete...when a new piece of music is scanned into the IPAD, I can move it to the proper Album...or two. In the ideal Therapeutic Music world, you would have all these Tunes memorized, and some of them I do have memorized, but not enough to leave my IPAD at home, lol It's just one easy swipe across my IPAD into the next Tune.....there is a smooth transition thanks to the beauty of technology......
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