UMR Communications is offering the latest headlines in the RSS format.
Commentary
AGING WELL: Bringing music to aging ears Missy Buchanan, Jul 8, 2009
Missy Buchanan
By Missy Buchanan Special Contributor
As my husband and I drove up to the event center, we saw a trail of older adults inching across the parking lot. Some were pushing walkers. Others were using canes and steadying one another as they navigated the uneven pavement. A few were in wheelchairs being pushed by younger folks.
All of us had come to celebrate a milestone anniversary for an older couple who had a large contingent of even-older family members and friends.
Inside the large party room, walkers jostled for space like cars at a shopping mall in December. After sentimental tributes to the anniversary couple who shared a German heritage, all eyes turned to the polka band. The accordion player announced the first tune and the lively music began.
Surprisingly, many of the older adults began sifting through the crowd to get to the dance floor. With brightened faces, they carefully clung to each other as they shuffled to the beat of the music. Some were husbands and wives. Others were widows who laughingly paired with other widows to become a dance team.
They did tiny hops and half steps as they gently twirled around. Somehow they looked 20 years younger. Even those watching from the sidelines were clapping their hands and nodding their heads in rhythm.
My husband looked at me and grinned, knowing exactly what I was thinking. How could these seniors with stooped bodies and slow steps suddenly spring to life at the first measure of a spirited polka?
Their physical ailments had not vanished. Their bodies were still frail. For a while though, they seemed more vigorous than vulnerable. It was the music, encouraging their movement and renewing their energy.
Recently I watched Young @ Heart, a documentary film featuring members of a senior adult chorus in Massachusetts. But unlike most senior choruses, this group rocks out on tunes from Coldplay and James Brown.
It is a film that is both funny and sobering. As the seniors’ personal stories unfold, you cannot escape the reality of their health issues. But there is much laughter, too. Forgetting creaky bones and ailments for a while, these geriatrics eagerly wade in the healing waters of music.
One of the most poignant scenes takes place at the Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction where the seniors perform on the lawn for a group of inmates. As the camera pans the crowd, you can’t miss the raw emotion on the inmates’ faces. Moments later, tender words are exchanged between the inmates and the elderly singers.
The older adults gave the inmates a gift of grace and encouragement. The inmates gave the older adults purpose and joy.
The film reminded me of how music helps older adults cope with the challenges of aging. I recalled that a few years ago, my sister and I took our mother back to her senior care center after our family’s Christmas Day festivities. My daughter asked if we could go caroling to the residents. With just a bit of coaxing, my mother, a former church organist, agreed to complete our three-generation quartet.
Following behind my mother’s power chair, we traveled from door to door. When a resident answered our knock, my mother lifted her hands to direct us. More importantly, she had a broad smile on her face as she proudly took the soprano line.
Churches should remember the power of music as a therapeutic ministry for all older adults, not just active seniors. Let’s not forget to involve the homebound and residents of care centers as participators, not just spectators.
We’re never too old to make some joyful noise. Now, isn’t it time to strike up the band?
Ms. Buchanan, a member of FUMC Rockwall, Texas, is the author of Living with Purpose in a Worn Out Body (Upper Room Books).
Missy Buchanan
Recently I watched Young @ Heart, a documentary film featuring members of a senior adult chorus in Massachusetts. But unlike most senior choruses, this group rocks out on tunes from Coldplay and James Brown. 
