Today Carol and I joined Helene Endzweig's singing class from FIU to entertain at Palm Gardens, an assisted living establishment.  I think I saw only one "patient" who was ambulatory.   All the rest were in wheelchairs and one by one were brought into the room where we were to perform.  Some of the music I knew but most selections were designed for the class and we were but two out of the fourteen or so members of her class.

I'm glad I agreed to participate.  I don't think I added much for the group had practiced the selections and I had not.  But, my voice was added to the male section and we were loud and earnest. What interested me most was the wasted condition of most of our audience.  Each was wrapped up for warmth and each sat patiently and a great many either sang along with us or showed pleasure at our presence.   There was only one patient who slowly eased her wheelchair out of position and moved it towards the door and then out of the hall.  No one seemed to notice and she was gone before we could sing a note.

Helene played on a keyboard, had a microphone for herself and one for the four soloists.  I thought we, the singers and the audience, were there to see how it would turn out rather than the expectation of the "patients" for an hour of sing-a-long and hearing the popular music of long ago.

We were there to entertain a group who lived permanently in assisted living. I think most would eventually die there but the attempts to cheer them up and have them feel a part of the world were valid and, I think, successful.  One interesting event that was not planned was a little dog trailing its leash headed for a comforting presence. That little dog created the opportunity for Helene to begin singing "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?"  That turned out to be serendipitous and cheered up both the choir and the audience in a way that planning could not.

I saw my future in that audience and I did not like it.  Fortunately, we have long term care insurance which allows for a home aide so I won't be in such a place.  I think that what we were doing was good and necessary but the appreciation level of the audience was just not there.  I guess that a good many did not understand what we were doing.  I think that most of their activities were of that sort - trying to revive sleepy minds and sagging bodies.

We meant well and probably did more good than bad.  Our intentions were of the purest kind and we probably got more out of it than they did. On Christmas Day our Temple singing group and Cantor will be entertaining with a Chanukah program at Imperial House where we will find a different audience.