Musical therapy

Residents at Bethammi Nursing Home got into the Christmas spirit Friday with some musical therapy.

Students from Lakehead University’s music program joined the residents in singing holiday tunes as part of a research project to see how music improves the quality of life for residents of long-term care homes.

The program has LU music students run music exercises with the residents in groups and in one-on-one sessions; it has been running since September in Bethammi and Hogarth Riverview Manor and will run until the end of March.

At the end of the program, the results will be made available to other long-term care homes in Canada so they can try to replicate it, said Mary Lou Kelley, researcher for the Centre of Education and Research on Aging and Health (CERAH).

“For the resident and the families and the staff, it really is an example of something that can contribute to quality of life,” said Kelley, adding as seniors approach the end of their life, the numbers of social activities they are able to participate in become limited.

It’s also a valuable learning experience for the students, she noted.

“Many of them haven’t had experience working with older people and we hope through this the students will earn a lot about aging and gerontology and be interested in continuing to do this kind of work in the future,” said Kelley.

First-year music student Jessica Nunes plans to make a career in music therapy. She said as soon as they walk in the door, the residents are happy and all smiles.

“It just makes us feel more welcome,” she said. “They never negative attitudes towards anything we’re doing for them. We’re all having a good time.”

Nunes said Friday was the first Christmas-themed event they’ve done, but in the past few months they’ve sung older songs going back to the 1920s.

“One day I came here and played some clarinet, some George Gershwin tunes and they loved it,” she said.