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citizensmemorial.com
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“It is all very simple:
When you
think about a song that takes you back
to a special moment in time, nothing
else seems to matter,” says Lachelle
Jenkins, Director of Activities at
Citizens Memorial Healthcare Facility
(CMHCF) in Bolivar. “Your present
situation disappears, and you are fully
emerged in that memory. Music has a
positive effect on the brain.”
It was this passion for music
therapy that led Jenkins to apply
for the MC5 Music & Memory
Certification Incentive grant. In May
2015, CMHCF and Colonial Springs
Healthcare Center, both Citizens
Memorial Health Care Foundation
long-term care facilities, received the
Music & Memory grant. Awarded to
40 long-term care facilities in Missouri,
this grant provides each facility with
the equipment, tools and training
needed to launch the program.
Since last summer, the Music &
Memory program at CMHCF has
picked up momentum. Originally,
CMHCF had five iPods and the
equipment necessary to keep them
running. Through the help of
donations, the facility now has 24 iPods,
Please don’t stop themusic
Music program helps residents in long-term care
numerous chargers, an extensive playlist
selection and two permanent charging
docks. Residents can check out iPods
with their personalized playlists to enjoy
at their convenience.
COME TOGETHER
“The music helps me focus on happy
times and making me more positive,”
says CMHCF resident Sandra
Buchanan, 75. “It allows me to shut
out my surroundings and remember
happy times.”
Buchanan, who is Resident Council
President at CMHCF, credits the
Music & Memory program for not
only her happiness but the happiness
of others throughout the facility.
“People are talking,” says
Buchanan. “They are telling stories
and getting to know each other.
That is because of the music. It is a
common interest of everybody.”
Both the staff and residents have
noticed a change in the facility’s
atmosphere. Family members have
told staff that they are noticing
a decrease in anxiety and other
behaviors. The staff continues to
bond with their residents but on a
new level. As they discover they have
a common appreciation for the same
genre or artists, residents and staff are
sharing memories and experiences
with each other. Even though there is
a generational difference, the music is
acting as a bridge for both.
At CMHCF, the Activity
Department is working to make
more music available to residents
by incorporating it into their daily
activities. Future plans call for
growing the Music & Memory
program by having instruments, such
as guitars and a piano, available for
the residents to play.
“It doesn’t matter how they get
the music,” says Jenkins. “It doesn’t
matter if it is digital or in person, as
long as they get it.”
YOU CAN PLAYA PART
If you would like to get
involved with the Music &
Memory program, you can
donate iTunes gift cards,
used iPods or money to
help grow this program
at other CMH long-term
care facilities. Call Lachelle
Jenkins at
417-326-7648
for more information.
“The music helps
me focus on
happy
times
and making
me more positive.”
—CMHCF resident
Sandra Buchanan
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