by Christal Hoffman, Regional Lifestyles and Pathways Specialist for Texas and Oklahoma
Music is very important in my life.
Have you ever been driving down the road and hear a song you haven’t heard in years? Funny how we can remember certain things like all the words, where we were when we first heard it, and maybe whom we were with.
There is a song by Waylon Jennings called “Waymore’s Blues.” Now, this isn’t the happiest or most popular song, but this is the song I sang with my dad on my way to kindergarten. We had a long, curvy road beside our house, and every time it rained and we came around the corner my dad would sing “Round that corner come a passenger train.” We would both sing and play the air drums on the dashboard of the car. (This was before we had to be in car seats until we were teenagers…)
This memory, as insignificant as it may seem, sticks with me every time it rains and I go around a corner.
Our brains are fascinating! How can I remember all the words to a song I sang when I was 7, but not what I had for lunch yesterday?
This is what makes music so important for our seniors.
Our lifestyle and memory care directors are encouraged to have music playing throughout the day. Some of our communities even have personalized playlists of their resident’s favorite songs playing throughout their communities.
In our memory care communities, old time favorites are playing all day long, as well as incorporating programs such as drum circles, playing instruments, choir performances, line dancing, sing-a-longs, name that tune, and more.
Take some time and think about your favorite song. Why is it your favorite? Where were you the last time you heard it? Do you wish you could go back and revisit that moment?
I know I do. Let’s create new memories by revisiting the old ones together!