Singing at The Memory Center

Singing at The Memory Center

Recently, I sang for nearly two hours at my mother’s home, The Memory Center, a residence for people with Alzheimer’s. I sing songs from their childhood and young adulthood – Sweet Betsy From Pike, I’ve Been Workin’ On the Railroad, You Are My Sunshine, Let Me Call You Sweetheart. A dozen or more residents cluster around the piano, most in wheelchairs. A wonderful pianist, named Katherine Edmonton, volunteers her time to come play with me. It’s three in the afternoon. My mother and her neighbors look sleepy, but as soon as I open my mouth, they lift their heads and start to sing. Some sing out loud. Some just move their lips. They know the words, these sweet parents who don’t even know their own children.
A well coiffed, white-haired woman came up to me afterwards and said, “I loved your singing. I hope you come back again soon.” I noticed her singing every song. I asked her what her name was. She answered with a smile, “Doris Duvall. Isn’t that a lovely name?” I agreed it was.
Every time I come and sing, I am struck by how much music helps people who are memory impaired come alive. Their eyes light up. They smile. They bob their heads with the beat. We are viscerally connected as we sing together. The present moment is sweet and healing for all of us.