Man In Nursing Home Reacts To Hearing Music From His Era

So they give a man living in a nursing home music. He's usually shut off and doesn't communicate much until they play him his favorite songs.

www.musicandmemory.org...

This vid made me feel happy
It's so amazing how music effects people.

I think I would react to hearing decent music in the same way.

The quality around today is severely lacking

reply to post by RealSpoke


Grasping at the little bit of reality that makes him feel happy. Just know that getting old and going through phases of lucidity, such as this man has, may await many of us.

Finally something heartwarming.

Music captures memories, emotions, parts of our lives that through listening can remind us, enlighten us, motivate us, and regress us into a state that surpasses the limitations of age.

Yeah I'm sick of reading horror stories out of nursing homes on ATS, there is a good and bad side to everything

Just think twice about cutting the arts in schools

I have often thought about this very thing in relation to people in nursing homes

the songs we grew up and lived loved and laughed to are so important to how we feel and relate.

this really confirms that , I'll bet the staff at that place listen to gangster rap all day, poor guy

what does he like I'll send him some cds

reply to post by RealSpoke


What a beautiful story!!! Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

We all need to find the beauty in this life.

In a moment of clarity, a lifetime of experience shines through in the wisdom of an old man. "I figure right now the world needs to come into music" "It gives me the feeling of love"

"In a world of peace and love, music would be the universal language." -Henry David Thoreau

"Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without." -Confucius

"One good thing about music, when it hits- you feel no pain." -Bob Marley

Originally posted by RealSpoke
Yeah I'm sick of reading horror stories out of nursing homes on ATS...

Although one does have to wonder about a nursing home where nobody ever gets to listen to any music.
Cant they afford to buy a CD player for the lunch room or something?
Cant they tune a radio to an "oldies" station?

reply to post by alfa1


Yeah that's true, I never thought about that. I've never been in one so I wouldn't really know.

There's nothing like listening to your favorite songs with headphones on though

reply to post by RealSpoke


Bless his heart!!! I love it when he is singing and goes "presents under the treeee.....OWW!" I bet he was somethin when he was young....I laughed AND cried. What the music does, is that it STIMULATES them. It must be so depressing to be in a nursing home.....they shut down. Thank God there are good people like that woman....to provide this for them.

There are a few nursing homes that are adopting the approach of having a special room old folk and in particular dementia sufferers can go to that reminds them of how they once lived. Seem's to be quite the success.
They are like little walk in livable museums of the past.

reply to post by Suspiria

i can't help but wondering if this is like rebooting a computer, ( what i mean is when your computer has got messed up , you can take it back to when it was working ok ) the brain could be something like that and the music is taking his mind back to when all was ok .
nice story we need more of these instead of all the doom and gloom .

What a great video! It's amazing how his eyes lit up when the music came on. I listen to music the first thing in the morning until I go to bed at night. I hope when I get old that I have my headphones on and music blaring most of the day.

My favorite Cab Calloway song.

reply to post by tom.farnhill


I think your assumption is correct, though even if the reboot is only fleeting it seems to have an overall beneficial effect on their well being.
www.yorkshirepost.co.uk...#

www.mirror.co.uk...

That's just a few places that are adopting this practice, I imagine many more will jump on board due to the obvious benefits.

For you sweet Henry.....Bing Crosby I'll Be Home For Christmas 1943

I too believe music is divinely created! Thank you for this!

Moving, beyond words, was that video.
Thank you for posting it, and presenting hope.
I have some issues with the way our elders are looked to. Very thankful the staff in his nursing home took the time to care. Your video really made me think of this interview where Katherine Hepburn said it best.
We really need to look to the care of our elders.
They truly know what "hard times" are and most know the meaning of "hard work" like we will never see,
I guess I'm just thinking how much nicer it would have been to see the man singing in the comfort of his family's home.
Hoping this video is not too off topic, I'll remove if so. She discusses our treatment of the elderly at the 1 min. 35 mark:

This is truly an amazing video. So incredible to see him literally come to life after hearing some of his favorite songs from back in the day. I hope I keep my iPod for one my day comes, lol.