The good... and the bad

I have two stories for you today...

The good:

I went to a facility the other day and met with a woman. She had a diagnosis of Dementia, she loved Irish tunes. She laid sprawled in a geri-chair, seemed very agitated, and all alone. At first my supervisor tried playing the guitar by her side but the patient was so agitated and uncomfortable. She kept trying to pull herself up and into a different position. My supervisor wanted me to jump in while she went to find a nurse to help move the patient to a more comfortable position. I got down on my knees, scooted right up next to the patient, reached out to hold her hand, and just sang every Irish tune I knew. (Thank goodness we always celebrated St. Patrick's day in Practicum - and that many residents in Iowa tend to have a strong German/Irish heritage). The patient turned to look at me and in a slurred, toothless, loud voice - she started singing right along with me... Oh Danny Boy, My Wild Irish Rose, I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover, even My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean... she looked at me, sang every word, and held my hand the entire time. When I ran out of Irish type tunes, I sang Scottish ones. I could have stayed with her forever. This Patient is exactly why I am so in love (already) with this work.

The bad:

There was another storm in Chicagoland earlier this week and as a result caused the worst power outages since 1998 (if I am not mistaken). Facilities were still running on generators and are getting HOT. When it gets hot, windows are opened. When windows are opened, flies get in. When you sing and there are flies in the room you run the risk of having a fly get sucked into your mouth. These are the risks music therapists face every day.

That's all I have to say about that.