Speaker 1
Good weekend to you, everybody, and welcome to your next chapter, Senior Living. It’s a production of The Heights at Avery Heights, a one-of-a-kind senior living community centrally located near the most entertaining and historical spots in Connecticut. It is never too late to grow and enjoy new realms of the mind and heart.

Speaker 1
Your next chapter delves deep into topics that will improve the way we think about aging, senior living, and the retirement years. It is time to celebrate our seniors and give them wholehearted encouragement to bravely step up to new experiences with optimism, inner peace, and the courage to never give up on So we will discuss exciting opportunities, important resources for older adults, financial well-being, senior living communities, and emotional health. Along with Siobhan Mattingly, I’m Gary Byron.

Speaker 1
Well, good morning, Siobhan. Good morning.

Speaker 2
Good to see you. How’s your week been? Very good. I have some awesome news.

Speaker 1
Awesome news? Yes. Is this something you can divulge?

Speaker 2
It is, yeah. I can’t wait! Yes, we’ve been waiting forever to get the results. So the Avery Heights, the Heights of Avery, the Heights at Avery Heights is the best of senior living for 2022, 2023 for a place for mom. You know, so like Joan London has said, no, I’m just kidding.

Speaker 1
Is she going to stop down and do the issue?

Speaker 2
She is. We’re like besties now. Nice.

Speaker 2
Tell her I said hello. All right. Miss London.

Speaker 2
We did get a really nice award, though. It’s all glass. And yeah, it’s really nice.

Speaker 1
You’ll have to forgive me for not looking too surprised. I’ve been to a number of these facilities. Well, not in a few years, but you really do have it going on at Avery. It’s funny because when I talk about the people, whether it’s on the morning show or just the people who bring up this show throughout the week is, you know, listen, anybody can brag about, oh, how great they are. But the proof is in the pudding.

Speaker 2
Exactly.

Speaker 1
I mean, any ball player will tell you that, hey, they’re the greatest. Any athlete will tell you. But the stats don’t lie.

Speaker 1
Right. Okay? So sometimes people are a legend in their own mind a little bit.

Speaker 1
Well, just talk to the residents. And that’s what I did when I broadcasted the morning show. You had a lot of fans there.

Speaker 1
Well, yeah, but that aside, I talked to people and asked. And I’ll never forget one person. It was a woman who said, I should have come here sooner.

Speaker 1
I know another person said that they, at first, they didn’t want to go to some old folks home. You know, and I’m like, oh, geez. Okay, well.

Speaker 1
And I’m like, well, any regrets? I’m like, oh, I love it here. And I’m like, well, there you go.

Speaker 1
This is not like, I don’t want to, it’s so cliche to say this is not your parents’ old folks home. I mean, this is it’s a continuum of care, senior living facility where there are people as independent as can be. Yes, that’s the best part.

Speaker 1
Yes. And then there’s, you know, those who need more observation. And then sadly, you know, there are those who need the memory care.

Speaker 2
Yes. But even that’s like a lively place. I remember walking in there one day.

Speaker 2
What was the holiday? And she had she had what was it? It was maybe it was Cinco de Mayo.

Speaker 2
I think it was. And she had they had all this stuff on their heads, like Mexican hats and all this stuff. And I was coming in with a tour.

Speaker 2
And so it was just like, it looked kind of kooky, I have to be honest. But I’m just like, but it was so lively and they had the music going and the, you know, what are those? Cucarachas?

Speaker 2
Yeah, maracas. Maracas, thank you. And it was just great.

Speaker 2
But it was really funny because I was just like, dude, can you tone down the silly when I have tourists coming? But it was perfect.

Speaker 1
You know what’s really unique or kind of cool about it is imagine being in an environment where your peers have everything in common with you. It’s one thing to have. You can have the best care providers.

Speaker 1
I know people in their 20s who are health care providers, and they’re phenomenal what they do. But as phenomenal as what they do, they can’t relate to the stories of your generation. You have to have been there.

Speaker 1
The movies, the music, the culture of the times. If you live through, you talk to somebody who, I mean, they’d be in their 90s now, but you talk to somebody who lived through the Great Depression. I don’t care.

Speaker 1
You can’t say, oh, I know what it’s like. No, you don’t know what it’s like. But when you are, when your neighbor or somebody that you’re having coffee with or you’re just shooting the breeze with had very similar experiences in life because they lived through that era.

Speaker 1
There’s something to be said for that. And before we, I want you to bring in our guest this morning, but people have that experience where they go to the senior center once a week. Right.

Speaker 1
And then it’s sad because they’re wasting time. And then sometimes they don’t get back there until the following week. Right.

Speaker 1
You know, or it’ll go a couple times a week, but they see their friend that one day, you know. Well, imagine having at your disposal that kind of community, where you get to see different folks from your era, from the times that you remember, you know, growing up or working and it’s relatable.

Speaker 2
Right. Or the same circumstances, too, because we do have a lot of people who are widows, people that have their spouse as a veteran. There’s different other circumstances that are similar.

Speaker 2
You know, maybe they were a nurse. So there’s all sorts of circumstances. That’s a great point.

Speaker 2
That kind of bring folks together. And it’s easier. I think life is, it’s like, you know, a huge support group because it’s easier.

Speaker 2
You don’t have to keep telling, like you said, your story, especially if you’re a widower or you’re a widow. It’s kind of like, you know, who wants to keep kind of like talking about it? You could just say a couple of words and the person will know where you’re at.

Speaker 2
You know what I mean? Oh, I miss him today. You don’t have to explain why do you miss someone that’s been gone for 15 years.

Speaker 2
They’ll get it.

Speaker 1
And the independent living aspect of it is, you know, listen, there are days when, huh, I don’t want to see much of anybody. Right. You know, I’m having my, you know, I’m having not a good day for whatever reason.

Speaker 1
Right. And it just happens. I guess we just sit home and read or put the, you know, or put the radio on or something.

Speaker 1
We’ll go to the library too. Yeah, exactly. The library’s nice and yeah.

Speaker 1
And then there’s days where you like some company and there’s days you like a lot of And that’s independent living. You do what you want. You want to be around loads of people?

Speaker 1
You can. Options. The options are there.

Speaker 1
The options are there. You’ve got to guess. You’ve been talking about a lot, and I want you to have the opportunity to introduce.

Speaker 2
Yes. So, you know, in the world of COVID, it definitely has its advantages. You get to meet people online.

Speaker 2
You know, we’re more open to kind of opening our borders and reaching out. And so I have great pleasure of meeting Tara Jenkins. She owns a company.

Speaker 2
She’s a founder and owner of Harmony and Dementia Music Matters. This is very, very close to my heart. I just remember the first time I saw someone listen to music that has dementia and then just come to life.

Speaker 2
And I was fascinated. I was like, this is, I mean, you can have people that don’t know what they had for lunch or anything like that. But you put on the right song and they know all the words to it and sing it beautifully.

Speaker 2
And I just think it’s an amazing thing. And so we haven’t really talked a lot about that on our show. And I thought I’d bring in an expert.

Speaker 2
And I want to introduce Ms. Tara Jenkins. Hey, Tara.

Speaker 1
Tara, good morning. Hey.

Speaker 2
Thank you. Good morning.

Speaker 1
Great to have you with us.

Speaker 2
All the way from Texas. Great to be here.

Speaker 1
Yeah, you are all the way from Texas.

Speaker 3
I am. Yeah, I’m out in the Austin, Texas area. I am an East Post gal originally. I was born and raised in New Jersey.

Speaker 1
Very nice. What brought you to Texas?

Speaker 3
So my husband’s job. So, yeah, we I spent a good amount of my time after college in Washington, D.C. area. And I met my husband out there, got married out there, and then we moved for a job of his. So we’ve been out here about six years now.

Speaker 2
Nice.

Speaker 1
Very nice. Do you get back to the Northeast at all?

Speaker 3
Yeah, I do somewhat frequently. We actually, everyone in Texas thought we were crazy, but we just, for Christmas, we drove to New Jersey from Texas. So we did like a huge, like two week long trip and drove so we could bring our dog.

Speaker 3
And it was great. It was just, you know, we paced ourselves and planned it out. But it’s, I don’t know, I think it’s like 26 hours if you were to drive it straight through.

Speaker 1
So it was a long time. Goodness. Good for you.

Speaker 1
So we have heard over the years the importance of music for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s. It reminds me a little bit of Tony Bennett. Tony Bennett, and this is no secret, so I’m not divulging any secret here, suffers from dementia. I actually saw Tony Bennett in concert about 10 years ago.

Speaker 1
He’s got a daughter, I think it’s a daughter, that says, this guy can sing just about every song he’s recorded. But he couldn’t remember certain members of, maybe his kids he remembers. But I’m trying to remember, I’m paraphrasing here.

Speaker 1
This is a while since I’ve heard this. But there are members of his friends that he had known for years or members of his family who look familiar to him. but aren’t quite, he’s not quite sure who he is, but you have him sing these songs.

Speaker 1
He knows every word. What is that? I mean, that’s kind of unique, isn’t it?

Speaker 1
Or maybe not so. Yeah.

Speaker 3
So it really has to do with music itself. And so if you’re a performer, it’s going to be even more kind of embedded in you. So when you use an example like Tony Bennett, but even you and I, someone who just maybe listens to music leisurely.

Speaker 3
What’s so great about music is it activates many areas of our brain, and it includes those areas associated with memory and emotion. So we can all listen to the same song, and we’re all going to have different reactions and emotions based on past experiences. And our neurons continue to fire until a connection is made.

Speaker 3
So this is one of the many reasons why it’s so powerful with folks living with dementia. You know, and in general, when you think of music and health, you know, there’s lots of research studies out there about, you know, how music can help with depression and anxiety, how it can bring your blood pressure down, you know, and stabilize your heart rate. And the same is true for folks with dementia. There are a lot of studies out there about it being a non-pharmacological approach. So using music therapy, using music in a very specific way with older adults living with dementia and helping decrease some of those symptoms that come with living with dementia.

Speaker 3
So, you know, if you think of your favorite song, it could be a song you dance to at your wedding. It could be a song that your parents sang to you. It could be the first concert you ever saw.

Speaker 3
You know, those are some examples of what connects us emotionally to a time and place. And when we hear those specific melodies, it brings us right back. And so that’s another reason why it’s so important with older adults.

Speaker 3
What I love about music is we can all hear the same song, as I mentioned earlier, and we’re all going to have a different response and association to it. And older adults have those strong emotional responses, even when they’re no longer verbally communicating or otherwise responding to typical methods of care, which is another reason why music can be so important with individuals living with dementia. So being able to provide older adults a way to access experiences and express a range of emotions can really be a substantial improvement to their quality of life.

Speaker 1
Tara, is it only music or in audio or are there visuals, movies or home movies that can also trigger the memory for dementia care?

Speaker 3
Yeah, I, you know, my expertise is more in the music area. But, yeah, you know, if you I had a client in my internship with MS and, you know, she shared her very specific story was. She was recognizing that she was starting to become forgetful and she wanted to document.

Speaker 3
She had such strong emotional connections and memories associated with music and at this point could recall them. So we started a memory book for her where any music we shared, I would document the memory she associated with them. And then this way she would have it.

Speaker 3
So if she wanted to flip through it, it would be another way to remind her or, you know, she could put on these songs that she enjoyed, which then might help assist with recalling those specific events in her life. And one thing that comes to mind to me is Sisters, the song Sisters from White Christmas. She loved that movie.

Speaker 3
She loved that song. And so at one point, and now this is 15, 16 years ago, so it wasn’t as easy to bring in video, like portable video stuff. But, you know, I brought in a short clip of Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye singing and dancing to Sisters.

Speaker 3
and you know it brought her right back yeah it brought her right back to that moment when she first saw it at that movie as a kid with her family you know and then she was able to tell me quite a bit that was how she was personally connected to the song so yeah yeah uh so i do recommend that you know if you’re a music therapist i’m not really using videos in my session i’m using a lot of live music as a music therapist uh what we like to do you know we’re a clinical and and space practice, and we’re using music to accomplish individualized goals. So, you know, when we’re working with older adults, we might be providing opportunities for meaningful connections, reminiscence, creative expression, increasing socialization with peers, family, and friends, encouraging communication, decreasing isolation, stress, and agitation. So a lot of what I do is in the moment. And, you know, I might come in with a plan of like, okay, this is what we’re going to do today, but I also very much take into what’s going on, you know, so it’s like anything else, you know, you have to adapt and kind of see where people are at. Or, you know, if I share Danny boy, and somebody becomes visibly upset, again, something I always like to share with folks, especially caregivers, is music can bring up a lot of emotions all at the same time. And like to remind people that that’s not necessarily the case. And with a lot of folks living with dementia, they no longer can verbally communicate. So it might be the only way that they can emotionally express how they’re feeling. And so, you know, the tearfulness is okay. But if I’m singing Danny Boy, and it’s really causing somebody to become distraught or upset, you know, I’m going to go over, I’m going to hand them a tissue, I’m going to, you know, show them positive body language. And then I might ask them, you know, should, you know, do we want to move on to another song? Or is it okay to keep singing? Because sometimes they need to, that’s that outlet of expression. And that’s the way that they’re trying to express themselves. And then sometimes you do need to, you know, adapt in the moment and kind of switch gears. So it really just depends on what’s happening. And then just also being hyper aware of, you know, their body language, their facial expressions you know if they are able to verbally communicate with you you know really listen to what they’re saying um you know if their words are jumbled and they’re communicating their their tone and inflection of voice and that’s going to give you a lot and that also guides me in

Speaker 1
my work as well isn’t that fascinating yeah i i i can so even a person without dementia there are songs right now that if i heard trigger emotion from my past good bad happy or sad you know um yeah what a tool to be able to utilize is this relatively new or uh a new method or are there are there new methods that that you’re able to kind of pull out of the toolbox so to

Speaker 3
speak. So we’ve been, you know, music therapy itself as like a profession dates back to, I think, I believe it’s early, you know, World War I. Doctors and nurses started to see that when they brought in musicians for the soldiers who were recovering, they started to notice a lot of physiological symptoms decrease as well as positive increases in mental health. And so the profession kind of developed from there. And so we’ve been in profession for a good amount of time.

Speaker 3
But I do think, you know, in recent years, there has been a lot of, for lack of a better word, a lot of buzz around music and dementia. But, you know, I’ve been in the field, I’ve been in the elder care field as a music therapist for 16 years. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and sharing music with folks in a variety of different ways. And so there is a lot of research out there to support it, you know, not only as a non-pharmological approach, which is huge for a lot of people when you think of side effects with a lot of different medications and things like that, especially if you have someone, you know, who is becoming frustrated or agitated. If you know that that’s happening at a certain time of day, can you pair their preferred music? Preferred Would you pair preferred music, you know, if maybe four o’clock is a hard time for them, maybe start at like 3.30, 3.45, you know, and see if that helps or is there a specific activity that you could redirect, you know, to them at that time.

Speaker 3
And so with music, there’s so much that you can do and so much that can be done as a music therapist. You know, not everyone can be trained to be a music therapist, but there are still ways that you can utilize the benefits of music, if that makes sense.

Speaker 1
Yeah, it does. Folks, you are listening to your next chapter of production of The Heights at Avery Heights, along with Siobhan Mattingly. I’m Gary Byron. Our guest this morning is the founder and owner of Harmony and Dementia, Tara Jenkins.

Speaker 1
Tell us a little bit about your services. I mean, what you do. Yeah, I’d love to know more about it.

Speaker 3
Sure. So I got started, I kind of got started in music therapy. I worked full time as an activities director and a music therapist kind of wearing multiple hats and then started a private practice in DC. And then when I moved to Austin, worked for a local company. And then about eight months ago, I decided I wanted to go back in a private practice. And so I provide a variety of services And the goal for my company is, you know, my main goals are to advocate for the importance of music accessibility and education for care partners and elder care professionals.

Speaker 3
I want to make sure that I’m participating in creative musical caregiving experiences, delivering personalized care and support. That’s a really big one for me is making sure that, you know, everything is personalized and individualized. And with music therapy, we can tailor programs specifically for a community, for that individual, for that group along the way.

Speaker 3
You know, I design workshops, again, that are individualized. And then I like to share tips, tools, and resources to meaningfully engage people living with dementia. So it really distinguishes my company as my person-centered approach.

Speaker 3
I believe in treating everyone with dignity and respect. And, you know, I want to make sure that I’m getting to know that individual’s interests and their preferences and encouraging those moment to moment connections. So I’m sorry, music and without music.

Speaker 1
Yeah. Do you have music wellness workshops or consultations and things like that?

Speaker 3
Yep. So, yeah, I have a couple of different things. So as far as music wellness workshops, I’ve got ones where, you know, I believe it’s not one size fits all.

Speaker 3
So, again, this goes to tailoring and making something customizable. But some of my most popular topics, I’ve got one that is, you know, how to take the music further. So it’s practical resources to meaningfully engage with your loved one.

Speaker 3
So this workshop is tailored for caregivers and care partners, and especially if they’re caring for a loved one in the home. And this workshop goes into practical tips and resources on how to best utilize music. You know, you learn about why music is beneficial for older adults, how to set up a comfortable environment for music listening, how to determine music preferences, which is huge, huge.

Speaker 3
Going back to preferred music, that makes a really big difference. And then how to enhance music listening. So it’s more than just playing a song.

Speaker 3
So, you know, what to do before, during and after a song is played. And so that is one that’s really popular. Another one that’s pretty popular is called Living in Harmony, and it’s music and self-care for care partners. So this one is really all about how care partners and caregivers can utilize music in their self-care. And so we go through, you know, the different pillars of self-care and how music can relate to each one of those.

Speaker 3
And with those two topics, they can be adapted for professionals. So, you know, if I was working with a home care agency and training their staff, I could do, you know, the practical resources to meaningfully engage in music. I can adapt that for professionals.

Speaker 3
And the same goes with senior living communities. You know, I can come in and present to staff for continuing education and share with them, okay, here’s how, you know, you can’t call yourself a music therapist or say that it’s music therapy, but you can still use music in a beneficial way. And here are the tools and the resources to help you do that.

Speaker 1
Tara, I mean, it’s wonderful. I’m listening to how you support caregivers. But you’re in Texas, and we’re in Connecticut.

Speaker 1
So, I mean, are there ways that you can provide your type of service to clients that are in Connecticut? Or, like, do you do virtual things? Yeah.

Speaker 1
Okay.

Speaker 3
Yeah, so I work with folks all over the country and with all of my services. So those are the workshops. I do music consultation as well.

Speaker 3
So sometimes that’s one 30-minute phone call or, you know, an hour Zoom where I’m helping activity directors. You know, maybe they want to build a music therapy program and they want to hire a music therapist, but they’re not really sure where to start. You know, or maybe it’s about how best to utilize music volunteers.

Speaker 3
So how can you best utilize volunteers? One way to do that is sharing music. So I might work in that way.

Speaker 3
And then, of course, I provide direct music therapy services, both group and individual services. And all three of those can be virtual as well as in person. So during the pandemic, I led a lot of groups and I led a lot of individual services, and I still do some of that via telehealth.

Speaker 3
When it comes to direct music therapy services, there’s an assessment that takes place no matter who I see. You know, whether it’s a group or individual, we always have an assessment process and then we base our treatment off of that. With telehealth, there’s an assessment process to make sure that it will be beneficial for that loved one living with dementia.

Speaker 3
Early stages, sometimes middle stages, telehealth can be really appropriate. But in those later stages, it really kind of depends. You know, and there’s a variety of factors there.

Speaker 3
And I will say, you know, some of my telehealth services is working with that spouse, that care partner, you know, and they’re there in the session with them. And so then that’s a very different experience. So again, it’s all about, you know, after that assessment, what is that individual looking for with dementia?

Speaker 3
What are they looking to get out of the session? What is their family member or their caregiver? You know, what are they wanting?

Speaker 3
And so all of my treatment is then based on that. You know, it’s based on my assessment and what I think would be beneficial, as well as what I would think would be beneficial for them.

Speaker 1
Tara, I’m running out of time. I’m so sorry. I got one minute.

Speaker 1
Maybe you can answer. Give me like the quick one, less than one minute answer to the, how can you give us some simple ways, you know, a caregiver can incorporate music into their care plan for their loved one? And if you can, maybe in less than a minute.

Speaker 1
I’m sorry.

Speaker 3
All right. I will do my best. I can chat forever.

Speaker 3
So, yeah. So some ways that you might be able to use music is using music as a motivator. So if you’re trying to get someone to move or exercise or, you know, during ADLs, so bath and shower care, you know, once you’ve got the room set up and the temperature is right and everything is where you need it.

Speaker 3
You know, maybe you play some of their preferred music as you’re walking to the bathroom and then you play it while you’re in there. So that’s a way you can use music as kind of a distraction and you can use it as a way to redirect them to something positive and use it as a motivator as well. All right.

Speaker 3
Another thing you, yeah, yeah. If that’s all the time I’ve got. I am so sorry.

Speaker 1
If we keep on going, the next show is going to start automatically, whether we’re still talking or not. So I want to thank, I do want to thank you folks. You’ve been listening to the latest edition of your next chapter, Senior Living, with Siobhan Mattingly, the Heights Senior Living Specialist.

Speaker 1
Avery Heights is a beautiful senior living community nestled within 43 acres of nature, Right smack dab in the heart of the junction between West Hartford, Newington and Hartford. And those who live there have access to a full continuum of care, including independent and assisted to memory care and a whole lot more. There’s charming houses and cottages with a true neighborhood feel.

Speaker 1
They’re all available to rent adjacent to the main building where those who need more assistance reside. please visit AveryHeights.org or by calling 860-953-1201. Again, it’s 860-953-1201 to learn more about their own special brand of community unlike any other.

Speaker 1
Folks, I want to thank our guest this morning, founder and owner of Harmony and Dementia, Tara Jenkins. I also want to thank my co-host over here, Siobhan Mattingly. I’m Gary Byron.

Speaker 1
Thanks so much for listening. Until next weekend, have a good one, everybody. So long.