Tip
from Michael's Lecture:
"Bringing Music and the Arts to Your Residents"
(Presented at the 1995 Indiana Alzheimer's Association
Conference)
For
this month (February 2003), I give you a template to plan the
third activity we listed in the last tip, which was published
in September 2002's column
(sorry its been pretty busy on the home front and I have not
had a chance to issue another tip till now!):
If
you don't have time to create a special Coffee Hour on your
own, and need one which is ready-made:
Try
these wonderful series of recordings with accompanying books,
from Music-Outreach.com...
*Our delightful Thematic Recordings which end with singalongs
*Our Singalong with Michael recordings
*Our Stories and Songs for Elders Series
*Our Memory Books/Memory Boxes Series (Available Soon)
Or
if you are feeling creative, and have the time, make a program
of your own using the format below…
The
Format:
Template:
(adapt this to fit your needs, if you like, or print it out
and plan an actual activity using it):
A
Special Musical/Reminiscing Coffee Hour
Which
Days and times will I use this activity each month?:
______________________ ________________________
______________________ ________________________
______________________ ________________________
______________________ ________________________
Theme
of the Activity:
Babyhood and the Special Relationship between
Parents, Grandparents, and their Babies
(or choose your own theme!)
First: Show Some Thought provoking Photographs
(Blow them up on the Copier if necessary)
Photograph
1 (Babyhood)
Bring in a picture of your parents and show the residents
Photograph 2 (Babyhood)
Bring in a picture of yourself as a baby and show it to your
residents
Photograph
3 (Babyhood)
Show some printed documentation form your babyhood
Such as...
Baptismal certificate
Imprint of infant's feet from the back of your mother's birth
certificate
Photograph 4 (Babyhood)
Show a picture of you as a baby with your parents
Show a picture of you as a baby with your grandparents
Show pictures of your parents or grandparents with their parents/grandparents
Then:
Discuss...
Discussion Questions (Babyhood)
(c) 2002 Memory Books/Memory Boxes Volume
One, by Michael D. Purvis
This and other fine books/recordings for elders by Michael
D. Purvis, BME available on Music-Outreach.com
1.
Do you remember anything at all about your own babyhood or toddler
years?
2.
If you have no memories of your babyhood or toddler years, then
what do you remember being told by your parents, grandparents,
or other family members about this early time in your life?
What was going on in your life, your family's life, and the
world during this time of your life?
3.
You see in Pictures 1-3 pictures and documents from the author's
babyhood/toddlerhood, and that of his parents. How have things
changed in the world since the time of your grandparents, your
parents, your own and your children's babyhood/toddlerhood?
Compare what you remember and what you have been told about
these times. What was it like for a mother during each of these
times? For a father? For a baby or toddler?
4.
Talk about raising your own babies. What was it like? Was anything
going on in the world which affected the care of your babies?
5.
What special sacrifices were necessary in caring for your own
babies? Were they related to anything in particular? Were these
sacrifices related things going on in your own life, your family's
lives, or the world?
6.
What special joys were there in caring for your own babies?
7.
If you had several children, how was caring for your first baby
different from raising the others?
8.
If there were differences in caring for each of your babies,
what caused these differences?
9.
Take a look at Picture Four again. There are four pictures:
a picture of the author as a baby with his parents, his grandparents,
his mother, and his father.
Tell some special things you remember from your childhood about
your parents as a couple, your grandparents, your mother as
an individual, and your father as an individual.
10.
Now to finish our discussion, discuss the special relationship
between baby (or toddler) and his or her: parents as a couple
or unit, grandparents, mother, and father. Each of these is
a special and unique relationship. You can discuss each of these
from the viewpoint of the baby/toddler and from the viewpoint
of the adult couple or individual.
11.
Now think about your children. What do you remember thinking
and feeling as you watched your own children raise their own
babies/toddlers? Did there seem to be any differences between
how you cared for your own babies/toddlers and how your children
did or do it? What do you feel are the causes of these differences-
the times, differences in how each of you were raised, differences
in the generations?
12.
Now think about your grandchildren. Do you remember thinking
and feeling anything in particular as you watched your grandchildren
raise their own babies/toddlers (your great grandchildren)?
Did there seem to be any differences between how you cared for
your own babies/toddlers and how your grandchildren did or do
it? Did you notice your own children having any difficulty adjusting
to the differences between how they cared for your grandchildren
as babies/toddlers and how your grandchildren cared for your
great grandchildren as babies/toddlers? What do you feel are
the causes of these differences- the times, differences in how
each of you were raised, differences in the generations?
Sing some Songs on the topic:
(Sing acapella, use a recording (A Music-Outreach one would
be great of course!),
or accompany the songs yourself, if you play an instrument.
How about having the residents play simple rhythm instruments
as you sing?)
"Babyface"
"Pretty Baby"
etc.
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Other Possible things to do at the end of your special
Musical/Reminiscing Coffee Hour:
Play
"Guess the Name of the Song" with songs related to
your theme:
(Music-Outreach's Thematic Recordings all contain a "Guess
the Name of the Song" section, and could be used for this
part of your program, if you are unable to sing the melodies
or play them on an instrument)
The Songs:
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Sing
some more songs:
(Again: sing acapella, Use a recording (A Music-Outreach one
would be great of course! ), Or accompany the songs yourself
if you play an instrument. How about having the residents play
simple rhythm instruments as you sing?)
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Show a scene form a movie or movie musical on video tape, on
the theme:
(From your own collection, from the collection of someone you
know,
or from the library)
Title, page, publication:
________________________________________
Discuss the scene. Does it bring forth any memories?
List questions below you can use to elicit a response from your
residents:
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
Optional
Final Song on the subject of your theme:
________________________________________
End
with a singalong:
(Again: sing acapella, Use a recording (A Music-Outreach one
would be great of course! ), Or accompany the songs yourself
if you play an instrument. How about having the residents play
simple rhythm instruments as you sing?)
Source
of your Singalong:
_________________________________________
The
songs:
______________________ ________________________
______________________ ________________________
______________________ ________________________
______________________ ________________________
______________________ ________________________
______________________ ________________________
______________________ ________________________
______________________ ________________________
End
of Activity.
_______________________________________________________
Well,
that ought to keep you busy until next month's column, when
we will map out some more activities for your activity program!
Best of luck! I am, as usual, sending you "good vibes"
and a little prayer that all you are dreaming of will be provided!
:)
Peace
:)
Michael
