[78-L] music making a big difference to residents in rest homes

[Anthony G Pavick]

A number of years ago I was involve in a vaudeville style troupe that 
did 30 minutes shows at rest homes. I used to sign My Blue Heaven, 
whilst wearing a cowboy get-up. We always had a sacred number and 
always ended with God Bless America. They'd wheel people who looked 
sullen and lost into a recreation area and we'd make a point to 
specifically play to those who seemed so far gone. I can still recall 
seeing a spark of life in a person's sad eyes when we'd sing as if 
that person was teh only one in the room.

To a certain extent this type of musical presentation was attempted, 
albeit half heartedly, via Bonneville's "Music of Your Life" 
satellite distributed radio format. That, as do most corporate radio 
formats these days, had even less animation and life in it than the 
most moribund of patients in any rest home

T