Moncton care home showcases the power of music

Long-time musician and volunteer John Foster might have been the main attraction at ProTem Memory Care’s sing-along to old time favourites.

But that’s exactly what he was hoping for.

“I think my favourite part is seeing the smile on people’s face,” said Foster. “And especially if somebody is fairly advanced in what we’d call Alzheimer’s, to see them actually singing, even when they can’t even talk sometimes, that to me is a miracle really,” said Foster, who has been volunteering for over 14 years at ProTem Memory Care.

Between the keyboard, ukulele, and even a puppet, it’s a gesture that’s providing way more than just entertainment.

“Music is part of our lives and it’s usually the first thing we recognize when we’re children,” said Amanda Shea, the activity director at ProTem. “Our mothers sang to us, we hear music and melodies all the time, so the rule I use with dementia is, ‘first things in are the last things out.’ Music can touch all of us.”

January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and all of the residents at ProTem Memory Care are living with an age-related memory deficiency, but music seems easy to recall.

Catering to his audience, Foster picked out old favourites that have a special place in his heart, along with the residents.

“Sometimes people don’t respond at all, but if you’re a certain old song, they’ll actually start singing again,” he said, adding that it gives him a chance to relive some fond memories as well.

“My dad liked all those old songs and played the ukulele, and so I sort of got into the ukulele. Actually, my father-in-law in Montreal, he knew all the words but he couldn’t hold a tune in a bucket,” Foster laughed. “What I’d do is go in once a week and I’d learn a new song.”

With five care homes in the city, volunteers rotate which facility they play at, giving residents a fun afternoon and a change of scenery.

“We try to just normalize our life here,” said Shea. “This isn’t a facility that has bells and whistles going off and it’s certainly not medicalized. This is just a home and this is where they live.”

Right now, Shea has a callout to local talent in the area, looking for more people to visit during the week to help bring joy, connections, and of course, good entertainment.

“We typically have a lot of music that comes in, all different genres of music, of course,” she said. “We’ll have upbeat dance music, rock music and we have sing-alongs like today. We also have children that come in and practice their dance routines and other instrumental music, so we love having a variety of people come through our doors.”

She says overall, the residents love meeting new faces and hearing a familiar melody.