Elizabeth and Alice got to help entertain at Ravenwood Health Care Center on Valentine's Day (it was a teacher inservice day at school).
The residents were enjoying a special meal, and a select group of string players were asked to come and provide some nice music--from Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to Hungarian Dance #5. One grandma said she wanted to take the littlest cello player and just give him a hug. 
Alice got to lead one of the pieces. She enjoys leading.
Wait, does she look happy here? Does anyone look happy?? I guess we'll just have to educate these young people about the joys of service.
The residents were enjoying a special meal, and a select group of string players were asked to come and provide some nice music--from Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to Hungarian Dance #5. One grandma said she wanted to take the littlest cello player and just give him a hug. Alice got to lead one of the pieces. She enjoys leading.Wait, does she look happy here? Does anyone look happy?? I guess we'll just have to educate these young people about the joys of service.Going to a rest home brings ambivalent feelings. It is nice to bring a change of pace--something new for the residents, but it is almost painful seeing the difficulties that come near the end of life. Almost all the residents were white-haired women, few men. Some were in wheel chairs. All were able to feed themselves, though not always easily. Many had hearing problems and couldn't carry on conversations with others at the table. I wondered at all the wisdom and life experiences that were gathered in that dining room, yet they were no longer "useful". It makes me sad...
Good for Alice! I have always had a hard time at rest homes because I felt empathy but didn't really know how to express it. But I'm sure the music was really nice to listen to.
ReplyDeleteYou may not notice, but Elizabeth is also there. I had a hard time getting a good shot of her because of the guy leading the group--he was always in the way!
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