With our increasingly aging population, there has been a corresponding rise in the number of people living in Aged Care facilities. Many of these residents rarely leave the facility so if they are to be entertained, the entertainment must come to them! As a consequence, there are a lot of opportunities for musicians to utilise their skills in a uniquely rewarding way.
We’ve been performing regularly at Aged Care facilities around Melbourne for around three years now with both our pop/jazz duo (Two Hearts Duo) and our classical duo (violin/cello). Here are some of the things we’ve learned.
You should play old music
Many aged care residents suffer from forms of dementia including Alzheimer’s and have very poor short term memories but their long-term memories are still very much intact. We’ve seen people with extreme confusion suddenly burst into song, joining in with every word of a complicated song by Cole Porter!
You can play some newer music
Although a lot of the people we play for are in their eighties and nineties it doesn’t mean they weren’t still listening to new music when they were in their forties and fifties. We’ve had a lot of success playing hit songs from the 60s, 70s and even 80s to these elderly audiences.
You should play lively music
Although the odd ballad can be good, we’ve found the residents generally respond best to rousing up-beat, clap-along kind of tunes.
People love interaction
Although it can be intimidating at first we’ve found aged care residents love a lively personable presentation almost as much as they love the music itself. For musicians who are used to playing in pubs, clubs and at weddings it can be a gear change to experience the slower and gentler response that the elderly will give our performances, but the level of appreciation is just as great – if not greater.
It can be rewarding
The appreciation shown by residents for the entertainment we provide can be quite overwhelming. On many occasions we’ve witnessed a whole room of blank faces, involuntary noises and physical stupor transform into a sea of smiles and satisfaction. We’ve seen frail nonagenarians jump to their feet and dance with joy. Just add music! Its also wonderful to see the smiles on the faces of staff members as they see their residents come to life.
It can be confronting
There is a wide range of reasons why people come to live in care facilities, but they all come down to their inability to care for themselves. It can be very confronting to see our human frailty up close, but we’ve found it heightens our desire to give what we can while we can. Like it or not, we’re all in the same boat!
If you’d like to share your thoughts please feel free to email me (Brenton) on info@twoheartsduo.com.au. If you’d like to receive our news (including new blogs) click here to join our mailing list.
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