The Healing Sounds of Music

THE HEALING SOUNDS OF MUSIC provides healing music experiences to residents in Assisted Living Facilities, Hospices, Nursing Homes and the like. We hire local professional musicians (primarily from BOCA Symphonia) to go into these facilities and perform a variety of musical selections to large groups of residents followed by a smaller, more intimate session with those too infirm to attend the concert. Many empirical studies have demonstrated that music is beneficial to all age groups, but particularly efficacious to the elderly, who may suffer from loneliness, mental impairment and a wide variety of chronic and end-of-life situations. This service is provided at no cost to the residents.

A questionnaire answered by a substantial number of residents indicated 98% of them rated our service "Excellent" and the same number hoped we would continue our monthly appearances and said it would be " Very Likely" they would attend future concerts.

Each of our concerts has been "sold out" and the reaction of the residents has been heart warming, as they express their appreciation with big smiles. We are very pleased to report that many post-concerts interviews clearly showed that the resident's outlook on life was greatly improved by their musical experience.

Senior Center Transportation- Get us Mobile!

As we age our ability to be physically mobile declines. This is also true of many seniors ability to transport themselves to important appointments such as doctors, family events, social gatherings, and even the grocery store. This seriously limits the amount of social interaction and nutritional services that are available to seniors.
Our mission is to provide for the social and nutritional needs of the senior citizens of the Pinetop-Lakeside area in a friendly and accessible environment. That includes informative, healthy, and recreational activities. Our program provides daily meal service to senior citizens that often provides the largest amount of nutrition they receive as well as the only meal they do not eat alone.
Our program is currently struggling with the ability of transporting seniors from their homes to our facility. Due to this many seniors are unable to participate in our program. Our hope for this project is to raise enough money to purchase a handicap equipped van or bus to help transport seniors to our center. This program will also help seniors get to and from appointments outside the center and take them on assisted shopping trips.

Wyoming Dementia Care

Wyoming Dementia Care strives to provide a better quality of life for those with Alzheimer's and other dementia-related diseases by caring for their needs as well as their caregivers. Newly diagnosed clients and their loved ones come to Wyoming Dementia Care feeling overwhelmed and are often in crisis or disbelief. They find compassionate staff ready to guide them through an initial understanding of the disease through care planning services all the way through to end of life decisions. Dementia affects people from all walks of life within our community, and although it is not a natural part of aging the number of dementia diagnoses such as Alzheimer's increase dramatically for seniors over the age of 65.

Nearly everyone knows someone who has been in the primary caregiving role for a loved one with Alzheimer's or dementia. The statistics and the experiences are devastating. The mission of Wyoming Dementia Care is to help ease these burdens by providing free supportive services to caregivers as well as persons living with dementia. Wyoming Dementia Care currently operates with a volunteer board of directors and two staff members from an office at Central Wyoming Senior Services, and the organization seeks to diversify our funding to facilitate the necessary and predicted growth. Through our direct services to the community those who face the daily challenges of these devastating diseases find support and solutions at no cost. Specifically, Wyoming Dementia Care offers one-on-one therapeutic counseling sessions, five monthly caregiver support groups in multiple locations, free respite care at all support groups, respite care at home via our voucher program, family care planning including disease education and outreach in the form of training for healthcare professionals and awareness such as Alzheimer's Foundation of America Memory Screenings. Wyoming Dementia Care staff present to a wide variety of organizations throughout the community in an effort to foster understanding of dementias including Alzheimer's. We offer additional services including a dementia-focused recreational art class, the Music & Memory individualized iPod program and personalized assistance with care transitions. Wyoming Dementia Care staff assists families as they coordinate long-term care, placement in a care facility, the services with hospice and other end of life care. Our goal is provide a continuum of care in our community.

Senior Adult Programming

Helping Hands Outreach serves hundreds of senior adults in northeast Stearns County, MN. Our services include transportation, homemaking, chore services, health and wellness programs, family caregiver support and adult day center services.