Tuesday morning, March 11, 204….a little tease from Mother Nature today….near 70o, I'll take it and not complain about the rest of the week that will be rainy and cold :)
Last Thursday as I went about my day and patient list, I was thinking about how special the patients are and how much they add to my life. I normally start with individual patients and work my way to the Unit Desks late in the afternoon. It seems that the "sundown syndrome" starts around 4pm and the staff can really use Therapeutic Music as they gather the "hard to handle" patients at the desk…an easier way to keep an eye on them and keep them safe. But with that said, it's also a rowdy crowd.
My first patient was a man I have played for several times. I stood in his doorway to get a feel for the environment and he was sitting in a wheelchair, staring straight ahead, no TV, no Music. I was thinking to myself, "how long can one sit with no stimulation?" I knocked on the door and he was happy to have harp music. He loves all the old standards of the 40's and some classical so after I played I asked if he enjoyed it. He opened his eyes and said, "the music is like a key that winds up my emotions, it lets me live again." Mission accomplished
As I am headed down the hall I see there are several patients at the Unit Desk, more than usual for so early in the day. It was loud and hectic. I decided to set up there next and hopefully give the area a little peace…NOT One of the patients decided my name was Lucy and immediately told me to "shut up". I had a gentleman on either side of me and no one was talking. I continued to play, trying different tunes that I thought might strike a chord with Ms. Grouchy, but she continued to tell me "stop playing those strings or I will come over there and slap your head" She was asking how much Ice Cream she would need for the party…..so as I played she continued to ask about the Ice Cream and said, "you should have practiced that thing before the party, if you don't stop playing those strings I'm coming over there and wrap them around your head." Ok, by this time most of the Staff are trying to hold it in and so was I. I decided to play Happy Birthday and that was the ticket!!! You could hear a pin drop! The man on my right looked at me and said, "thank-you, she finally shut up". Can I tell you, how that 30 minutes stayed with me for the remainder of the day. Every time I thought about it I would just smile.
I played for a beautiful woman, probably in her late 80's in late stages of Alzheimer's . She was so gracious, offering me a chair when I entered the room. I told her I had my own stool and she was pretty impressed that I carried it with me. :) I notice her roommate, closest to the door was unresponsive and on oxygen. I knew this resident and I could tell she had taken a downward spiral. As I played for my patient, she waved her arms in the air to the music, barely having the strength to do so. At one point, it was so loud in the hallway I got up and quietly shut the door all but a couple inches. As I was walking back to my harp the UNRESPONSIVE patient starts screaming at the top of her lungs, "OPEN THE DOOR….OPEN THE DOOR RIGHT NOW, DO YOU HEAR ME, OPEN THAT DOOR"….OK, I jumped 3 feet in the air, scared the life out of me. I opened the door. After I finished playing, my patient tried to hand me something but there was nothing in her hand. She thanked me for coming and asked her Husband to see me to the door. She apologized for not being able to see me out, as her neck hurt and she needed to rest. What a fine Lady she was.
As for the unresponsive roommate, her Daughter and Son-in-law came to the room as I was leaving and I have talked to them many times in the hallway and dining room. I told them I played for the roommate but she could still hear the music and how I had tried to shut the door. They both looked at each other and started laughing, the Daughter said, "DON'T SHUT THE DOOR." The three of us were outside in the hallway just laughing it up. Families go through so much and it's wonderful when you can make light of a very difficult and heartbreaking situation.
Yesterday I was playing piano in the Dining Room for my Companion and there was a man that wheeled himself close to the piano. I did not recognize him, nor did he speak or smile while I played. To be honest, I felt like I was not playing the tunes he loves, as I concentrate on my Companion's love of Beatles, Stones, Dylan and 50's love songs. (ok, I admit I love all these too) but when I was done, he said, "thank you for your music, you made my day a little brighter, and my afternoon zip by a little quicker, I appreciate that." Small bits of joy that I carry with me each day.
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