Olden Times and Ancient Rhymes

I, too, work in an Assisted Living with alzheimer/dementia residents. I sure see a lot of Christmas spirit within them; when all memories may be a lapse in time, the gentleness of song sure can bring a sparkle into their eyes. Thanks for sharing your story- faith can go a long way

Nothing will bring memories of our youth to mind quicker than Christmas. The tree, the carols and the cookies all conjure up memories of Christmas past. Thank you for sharing your Christmas story with us. It brought tears to my eyes. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

It seems that no matter how old, infirm or confused our residents get, if they celebrated Christmas as children then Christmas lives in them forever. I've seen residents we thought were lost to us, totally consumed by dementia, spring back to life again at the smell of spruce and the sound of a few chords on the piano. They may not realize what year it is or that familiar faces of long ago are long gone now, but they know it's Christmas.

Quote from TakeOneIt seems that no matter how old, infirm or confused our residents get, if they celebrated Christmas as children then Christmas lives in them forever. I've seen residents we thought were lost to us, totally consumed by dementia, spring back to life again at the smell of spruce and the sound of a few chords on the piano. They may not realize what year it is or that familiar faces of long ago are long gone now, but they know it's Christmas.

Thanks for sharing your story! Music and the human brain have a magical connection. It's not just xmas music, I think it is all music. It's an lovely thing to witness! Years ago, while working on an Alzheimer unit, during the music activities, patients able to recall songs of their younger years and singing along with perfect lyrics and rhythm with huge smiles on their faces. These same people didn't recognize their own family members and couldn't have a logical discussion. One of the residents, had some neurological damage, and wheelchair bound. Could not speak in words, but could only repeat the same sound over and over, "wrah, wrah, wrah". She could point and nod to assist in attempting to communicate what she was trying to tell you. As you can imagine, this was incredibly hard for her, the ability to think, but unable to verbalize. However, during the music activity sessions, she would sit there with tears running down her cheeks, singing along with the songs of her generation, some how music aloud her brain and speech impairment to function, after the music session, her ability to verbalize her speech would vanish and would continue to speak in her repetitive "wrah, wrah, wrah". She was a joy to take care of despite the communication barriers.Needless to say, she was not the only person with tears, it was a very powerful and moving site every time you witnessed it. Music is amazing!

You're right, Brian, music does the most amazing things! I've seen that happen too---worked in a lot of LTCs, where people who usually verbalize only with grunts or unintelligible sounds will somehow rediscover their voices through music therapy, or even the singing of old familiar hymns during a facility church service. I remember in particular this one woman who hadn't spoken a word in years, but the instant the visiting priest began the Eucharistic prayers, she would sing the responses in a high, clear voice: "Jesus, Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us". Ordinarily, she would merely make noises like "unnnnnhhhhhhhhh" and "gidditgidditgiddit".........but let someplay play the opening bars of the Gloria and she'd burst into song. I just wish I could carry a tune---I absolutely love to "make a joyful noise", but I sound like a cat with its tail caught under a rocking chair.

Maybe I'm just getting old too, but each Christmas means something a little different than the last......and my understanding of what it's all about grows deeper with the passing years.