The Sheep River Health Trust, which has a long history of supporting senior programming in the Foothills, has been able to increase its music enrichment offerings thanks to support from Western Wheel Cares.
The trust, one of seven Foothills charities supported by Western Wheel Cares this year, launched a weekly music enrichment program for residents of Rising Sun Long Term Care in Diamond Valley several years ago and due to its overwhelming success, has expanded it to five locations within its Adult Day Support Program.
Kelly Kalden, who delivers the program, has a front row seat to the physical, mental and emotional benefits it provides older participants.
“This is just a very natural way of getting them engaged and getting them moving and we’re just having fun, just goofing around,” said Kalden.
She said seniors that have mobility issues or struggle to use their outside voice find the vocal and breathing exercises associated with music enrichment beneficial.
“One of the things that I try to aim at is to see everybody moving in a healthy way. When we're increasing our oxygen levels, we're expanding our lung capacity, we're increasing all the happy hormones that are going to our bloodstream,” she said.
Kalden, who has been delivering music enrichment programs for 15 years, said the sessions also act as a stress reliever because seniors, even those living in care, still have stress in their lives.
“Their bodies are failing and that stresses them out," she said. "They're seeing friends pass away and that is stressful. They're dealing with family who maybe aren't doing so well and that's stressful. There are multiple things that can bring stress to seniors.”
Kalden said when they're engaged with the music, they’re not really thinking of anything else and the good vibes they get from the program can last for days or even weeks.
And using a steady diet of music from the 1940s through the ’60s can take participants back to their youth.
“I can have someone with severe dementia, someone who doesn't move, and I can put on Rock Around the Clock or something like that and they will literally wake up, like they're shooting out of bed,” she said.
"They may not be able to pinpoint a specific memory, but it's just about the feeling they had at that time.”
Andrea Mitchell, executive director of the Sheep River Health Trust, said research has shown that music not only triggers positive emotions by evoking cherished memories but also stimulates responses in individuals with dementia.
Mitchell said feedback from clients, residents, healthcare workers and family members has been overwhelmingly positive, making music enrichment a beloved and impactful program.
This year’s Western Wheel Cares campaign runs until Dec. 31. In 2023, the campaign raised a record $100,002, pushing its 12-year total to $669,061.
Each week, the Wheel has featured one of the seven organizations — Foothills Advocacy in Motion Society, Foothills Country Hospice, Inclusion Foothills, Okotoks Food Bank, Pound Rescue, Rowan House Society and Sheep River Health Trust — supported by the initiative.
To donate to Western Wheel Cares, visit westernwheel.ca/western-wheel-cares for a Paypal donation link. As well, you can drop by the Wheel office at 9 McRae St. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays (closed from noon to 1 p.m.) or call 403-938-6397.
