By far the most rewarding and gratifying experience that I've had with music and the elderly was with Patricia (last name withheld), an 80 year old former concert pianist. She was catatonic and could only blink her eyes voluntarily. My first priority was to teach her eye blink communications. Something the SLP (Speech Language Pathologist) hadn't even thought of. Now, after years trapped in a broken body. Her entire being came alert and very much alive when she realized that she could communicate, however primitively, with staff and I.

I have Pandora on my Dynavox and she now could tell me what she wanted to her. I know that her final months were happier with music. The reward? I had made a wonderful lady's last days more pleasant. Her Dr. said that my music may have prolonged Pat's life.