For 15 years, Music for Seniors has connected area musicians to older adults, providing live, interactive music programs designed to engage, entertain and educate older adults to promote their health and wellbeing.
Our cornerstone Outreach programming takes place in day programs and in residential care settings, such as assisted living and memory care communities that many older Tennesseans call home in their later years. Nearly half of these 1400+ outreach programs engage people who have been diagnosed with some form of dementia or another cognitive disorder, such as Parkinson’s Disease.
We offer these programs on a sliding fee scale based on our community partners’ ability to pay, which we are able to do through generous support from donors including The West End Home Foundation. This funding ensures that we can provide live music programming to our partners who have limited resources. And our impact on our participants is overwhelmingly positive:
The success of these programs is due to the talent and the compassion of our caring Musician Partners, including John England, whose band is a fixture at Robert’s Western World every Monday night.
John has worked with Music for Seniors for more than ten years and says, “Music for Seniors has been a great learning experience for me. I try to give some positive energy and spirit to every group but often leave a program feeling that I received more than I gave.”
The feeling is mutual from our community partners and their residents. Robin Lawson, who is the Recreation Director at NHC Sumner, a memory care facility in Gallatin, says,
“We always have a great turnout for the music programs. Our residents respond so well to the music and it helps that Music for Seniors‘ musicians show a sincere desire to visit and really consider the level of attention required. They always bring the light and provide a break from the heaviness that our residents may experience. And while some of our residents may not be able to speak, we do notice them singing. We consider that special connection a success!”
The positive impact that these programs have on the community members we serve is at the heart of our mission. Feedback from partners like Sue McSwiney at the Sunny Day Club reinforces that we’re on the right track:
“One lady with dementia who loves music will dance with a smile on her face and she looks forward to each visit from Music for Seniors. Our members love the programs and it can be seen on their faces and in their demeanor even if they are nonverbal. Musicians like Dayna Osan do a great job and capture our hearts.”
These are just a few of the stories that illustrate how important donors like The West End Home Foundation are to this work. With this support, we will not only be able to expand our programs into more underserved communities in the next year, we will also be able to continue to compensate the incredible musicians who make these programs possible.
