" ... a happy or friendly expression on the face in which the ends of the mouth curve up slightly, often with the lips moving apart so that the teeth can be seen."
(Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/smile)
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| You would have to say my grandson has the opposite of a smile here. Maybe it's the cap. But you know what? A Gershwin tune reverses the curve even in this cute little mouth. |
In aged care, the smile is one of the core values, whether you give or get.
Management and staff promote a smile-driven culture in official guidelines and messages from noticeboards, and it never hurts to have a reminder about something so basic.
Which leads me to recount my "experience of the week". Moving around a bayside nursing home with the diversional therapist to play for various audiences was inspiring, with many connections to the 'old tunes'.
We entertained a group waiting for bingo to start, residents in the lounge area of the high care unit, women around a big table during their craft session, small collectives with their visitors in the sitting rooms.
There were lots of smiles but then came a very special smile that could deserve its own definition.
The DT stopped in the hallway outside a room and asked if I could play something happy that may brighten up a lady who has been suffering from depression and also has dementia.
The lady was in her armchair and nodded fairly enthusiastically when asked if she would like to hear some music.
Things are looking up
In choosing a happy song for the elderly, I never need to "hunt around".The music of George and Ira Gershwin always works. The brothers have given the world many reasons to smile.
I have arranged one of their happiest songs in the spirit of a Latin rhythm guru, the vibraphone player, Cal Tjader.
Things are Looking Up is associated with the big screen, thanks to Fred Astaire - which undoubtedly cements its spot in many memory banks.
It has a fabulous lyrical line capped off with a marvellous metaphor: "... I'm as happy as a pup ..."
Then I followed up with another of the Gershwins' masterpieces, also from the late 1930s and performed by Astaire and Ginger Rogers - Let's call the Whole Thing Off.
This has the 'You say ee-ther, I say eye-ther" theme that still connects with young and old hearts.
As we left the unit, a carer was attending to the contents of a trolley. The DT called to her that we had managed to get the resident smiling.
That made the carer smile, too, and the interest of the pair certainly showed how they genuinely cared, not just 'for' but 'about' the lovely old lady we had visited.
The last two of dozens of songs I played that day now mean even more to me. There were four smiles in just a few minutes, those of a resident, two staff and a very happy musician.
Sources consulted for this article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_Call_the_Whole_Thing_Off
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Things_Are_Looking_Up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq2uweAMMW8
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