Elderly Music

Ever wonder what your parents and grandparents are listening to on the radio these days? Music is significant in our daily lives and that factor doesn’t end when we reach the age of retirement. People from birth to 199 need musical stimulation in their lives. So what is the elder population listening to these days? Recent studies show that soft slow music helps reduce pain, ease depression, and initiates a more relaxing sleep pattern in elder adults but hey, even grandma doesn’t spend the majority of her days sleeping. Well if you can imagine most of our parents or grandparents grew up in the 50’s. Yes, those beloved days of bobby socks and saddle shoes. They were bopping to the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and even the infamous, Elvis Presley. Hard to imagine isn’t it? But hey, I bet you grandma can still cut a rug.

Thinking back I bet you she can tell you some romantic tales about holding hands by the light of the silvery moon. No one can deny the impact of that Big Band Era. Those days define music appreciation. Orchestra, jazz, and blues they had it all in those days. Through wars, the Great Depression, and heartache music defined it all. Music was instrumental to their survival and that factor is still true today. The music has changed over the years and they accept it for the most part yet, they are still reminiscent of those harmonizing days.

Remember every crush you’ve had over the years with those hot new performers who send your heart off the charts? Well even my grandma experienced them. One of my fondest and most cherished experiences with my gram is her undying love for ole blue eyes. In my younger years my gram and I would listen for hours to every Frank Sinatra album she owned. Her face lit up like it was Christmas and any pain, frustration, sadness, or regret was missing during those times. During that time it was as if she were young again and all the worries of the world dissipated. She was within her innocence and the world was a trusting place.

My grandmother is nearly ninety and when I think of all that she has had to live through in her life it amazes me that she could be so pure as she is at these moments. It’s as if she were unscathed by all the events that developed throughout her life. Of course at other times, those scars are evident but judging her at these moments when she seems separated from them, I can’t help but admire her strength and courage. We can gain so much from the aged and their passions in life. These moments enable us to reflect on our own lives and gain the essence to survive yet another day. Our problems seem so small in comparison and the logic, understanding, compassion, and strength of our aging loved ones remains instrumental throughout our lives. I’m so grateful for my grandma’s love for ole blue eyes. For, without it, I might have never realized how much harmony she brought into my life.