Music Cheers Up Assisted Living Residents During Pandemic

Rising Mountains and other assisted living communities in Montana are offering musical performances to lift the spirits of quarantined residents during the pandemic, reports the Bozeman Daily Chronicle . "Music therapy is not a well-known profession, at least in the state of Montana," says certified music therapist Kirsten Wells, who has performed on guitar for residents while maintaining social distancing. She notes that "some people that can't talk with end-stage dementia can still sing with me. When they hear that song that they know from their younger years, they'll still join in signing with me and the smiles and the laughs and the engagement that you get in those times is worth it." Music therapy can be conducted either in small group sessions or in individual meetings, when Wells engages with clients on a personal level and invites those who may not have verbal abilities to play an instrument or accompany her with movement. For clients with less deteriorated cognition, she will use the songs as a conversation starter, with the goal of improving their mood or creating social engagement. 'What I look for when I interact with them is some kind of change, some kind of positive reaction of improvement," Wells says. "So, even if I just see a twinkle in their eye or that little smile, that's something I might not have gotten without adding music."