“Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.” – Psalm 105:2
As a child growing up in England, my sisters and I spent a lot of time with my Dad. He took us on outings often on the weekends, and would expose us to all different types of music. I remember going with him to classical concerts, and learning to identify the different composers and their works. He also made sure we saw lots of musicals including The Sound of Music, The King and I, Dr. Doolittle, and Westside Story to name a few. My father was also a big fan of Burt Bacharach; my sisters and I would listen and sing his wide variety of songs as well.
We would spend many hours on our trips, singing the songs from all the movies and plays we had seen. We would sing them for my grandparents, and even though I could not carry a tune to save my life, they thought it was the greatest singing ever. I have always been grateful for the exposure to different music in my life; I’ve met people, including my husband, who had missed out on this cultural experience.
Fast-forward to today, my father is a victim of Vascular Dementia; it is a very sad disease that takes one’s mind. He does however still know who I am, and on my last visit to see him, my sister and I sat down with the computer and played him old songs that we had shared with him as children. He remembered most of them, and even sang along with us during our trip down memory lane.
A couple of years ago, I had watched a documentary on Dementia, and they had talked about how they had given Alzheimer patients who were non responsive, IPods, and played music from their era, and how they had showed signs of enjoyment and responded positively every time. I believe now that is true, and the more people share this with their patients; the more their memories will stay alive.
I visit my Dad about twice a year, because he lives in northern California, but from now on every time I go, I will take this trip down memory lane with him, and I will be able to continue to be blessed by his love of music.
If you have someone in your life that seems distant, or is a victim of Dementia or Alzheimer’s, take a few minutes to play music for them, and you may see a light in their eyes. Music is a gift from God that is far reaching into one’s soul. I am thankful to God for this wonderful gift.
Gabrielle Moon, Executive Director, St. Luke’s Children’s Centers
