Today, I went to visit someone who seemed to be a bit of crisis. She has dementia, so she get confused. This is a common symptom in any dementia diagnosis and can result in a number of behaviors. Sometimes, people are quite happy with their situation. I call these people "pleasantly confused" in my documentation. Sometimes, however, they get to be very anxious. Imagine yourself in a place you don't know, surrounded by people you don't recognize, and you have no idea how to leave. I think that would definitely make me anxious. Usually, I find the best thing to do in this situation is refocus their attention or just distract them long enough to "reset" their emotions. This brings me to my client today.
When I arrived, she was sitting in the common area. The client was really tearful, crying out, and working herself into frenzy. She had a CNA next to her, trying to calm her down, and looking rather exasperated herself. I offered to sit with her and, before I could even get my guitar out, the client grabbed my hands and I could not get loose. The CNA turned to me and said, "She's got quite a grip today." Occasionally, this will happen and I've learned to "roll with the punches." I started to sing and she initially stopped to listen. It didn't take long, though, for her to get back to crying. I realized that if I sang 2 or 3 songs and alternated between them quickly, I could keep her attention. I sang "Shenandoah", "Amazing Grace", and "Red River Valley" while alternating verses. It was really comforting to see her really start to settle down
When I left, she was sitting calmly in her wheel chair. The facility staff came to get her for lunch and said, "I don't know what you did and I don't know how long it will last but thank you!" It's nice to see some very observable signs that what I'm doing helps so quickly and drastically sometimes!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Once a Conductor...
Wow. It has been way too long. I guess it's safe to say that I've lost track of time. Some exciting things in my life have been happening. One of those things, and a main reason that I am adding this post, is that I was interviewed by The Songwriting Podcast recently. If you are new to my blog from that episode, welcome! I promise I'll make a point to update this more regularly!
Not to mince words, I'd like to just tell a story that way I usually do [or did, as it were]. Last week was the end of the month. As anybody in the health care field knows, this is the time when it gets a little hectic. I have monthly frequencies for all my clients and, when things work out well, I get everybody seen and do not feel rushed at all. Last month was one of those months. It worked out really well, then, that this particular story comes from my last visit of the month.
My client in this session was a long-time band and choir conductor. He claims to have only taught for 23 years, but I know that he did much longer than that. Many students have been musically trained by this man and now I get a chance to improve his life in a nursing home with music. Being a vocal trainer, but also having dementia, I need to be sure that the songs I'm choosing are songs that are both familiar but not too easy. I end up choosing a lot of hymns, but also mixing it up with some folk tunes. I have to choose carefully because, when he sings, he sings loud and proud. I could liken his voice to that of the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz. Even if he doesn't remember the words. I close the door, but I'm sure that does little to muffle our music to the ears of the other residents.
Aside from the song choice, I also need to be careful where I sit because, as a conductor, my client gets very exuberant with his gestures. This, I think, is the key to our sessions. He becomes who he has been for a long time. He directs again. I make sure I follow his tempo, volume, and entrance cues while playing and this seems to bring back a life into his eyes again. Needless-to-say, he is always conducting forte [loud, for all you non-music geeks out there] and just as expressive as we can muster. It's really neat to see this little man become a giant in a sense. His actions are broad, his face expressive, and his posture upright. It's a very distinct transformation.
I guess when you've made a living with music [either professionally or not], once you're hooked into music, you always will be.
Not to mince words, I'd like to just tell a story that way I usually do [or did, as it were]. Last week was the end of the month. As anybody in the health care field knows, this is the time when it gets a little hectic. I have monthly frequencies for all my clients and, when things work out well, I get everybody seen and do not feel rushed at all. Last month was one of those months. It worked out really well, then, that this particular story comes from my last visit of the month.
My client in this session was a long-time band and choir conductor. He claims to have only taught for 23 years, but I know that he did much longer than that. Many students have been musically trained by this man and now I get a chance to improve his life in a nursing home with music. Being a vocal trainer, but also having dementia, I need to be sure that the songs I'm choosing are songs that are both familiar but not too easy. I end up choosing a lot of hymns, but also mixing it up with some folk tunes. I have to choose carefully because, when he sings, he sings loud and proud. I could liken his voice to that of the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz. Even if he doesn't remember the words. I close the door, but I'm sure that does little to muffle our music to the ears of the other residents.
Aside from the song choice, I also need to be careful where I sit because, as a conductor, my client gets very exuberant with his gestures. This, I think, is the key to our sessions. He becomes who he has been for a long time. He directs again. I make sure I follow his tempo, volume, and entrance cues while playing and this seems to bring back a life into his eyes again. Needless-to-say, he is always conducting forte [loud, for all you non-music geeks out there] and just as expressive as we can muster. It's really neat to see this little man become a giant in a sense. His actions are broad, his face expressive, and his posture upright. It's a very distinct transformation.
I guess when you've made a living with music [either professionally or not], once you're hooked into music, you always will be.
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