St. Patrick's Day Photo Gallery

So, for St. Patrick's Day, the locally renowned Highland Hills choir performed a selection of traditional Irish songs for retirees from Watkinsville and Bogart. It was an absolute pleasure to behold, and I learned that, like other independent living centers, Highland Hills employs an activities coordinator who is especially attuned to the art and science of getting people to be social. Her name is Edmonda Snow, a vivacious and outgoing lady who has been working for St. Mary's for twenty-five years.

Snow explains that social activities like choir concerts not only keep the residents active, but also provide a way to keep people from pondering anyone's failing health or upcoming death. Aside from concerts, shopping trips, and dinners, one of the most frequent events that Edmonda has to plan for is someone's memorial service. "That's kind of the worst part of this job" she says. "Each of these people is a bit like a grandparent to me, and it gets harder and harder each time one of them goes. Still, we like to remind ourselves that death is not the reason why we are here."

While maintaining close relationships to the residents, Snow also notes the importance of keeping the brain active later in life. She coordinates music lessons, golf lessons, sewing lessons and art lessons for the residents, citing medical findings that learning new skills late r in life helps stave off the onset of senility. Many of the Highland Hills singers are first-timers, pushed into singing by Snow and the sense of community that singing brings. Attached are several pictures from the performance.

The concert was well-received and well attended and included a collection of traditional, popular and less well known Irish tunes. Choir member and Highland Hills resident "Tweet" Moore said this was her first performance with the group, and that was thrilled to be involved. "Moore sang in her church choir as a little girl, but had only recently started singing again. It was an activity she took up to meet people shortly after her husband passed away. Moore is considering lessons, and a few of her friends have take up the piano.

Music lessons open up neural pathways and release certain hormones in the brain that counteract anxiety, depression, stress and promote well-being according to the American Music therapy Association. The association also points out that adults who engage in any form of music-making also display fewer adverse health affects. But for the members of the Highland Hills choir, singing together forms a common bound between strangers and old friends, and gives everyone in the choir a reason to perform.

Ways to think about and deal with death

So far on this blog, there has been very little talk about what old age leads to: death. But over the past four weeks at Highland Hills, there have been 4 different memorial services for residents, each person a noticeable presence in the community who has left behind close friends and family.

Edmonda Snow, the event and activity coordinator for Highland Hills, has to plan and schedule these memorial services. But also, as the activity coordinator, she spends quite a bit of time getting to know residents socially and personally. "I probably take my job too seriously," she says as she starts to tear up. "We think of ourselves as a big family here, each person becomes like a grandparent and gets to be really hard to see them go."

"Tweet" Moore moved into Highland Hills with her husband last summer, and the two had only been there a short while when she passed away. He was living in their personal care wing, and she had an apartment in the independent living wing, but she would often spend nights in his apartment until he died suddenly in August. "I wasn't prepared for it, I guess no one ever is, but the staff and my friends and neighbors really help me through."

In fact these friends and neighbors are all acutely aware of each others mortality, and this sense of inevitably creates a strong camaraderie. "The key is to stay positive and to live for the moment," says Tweet, "because when someone starts to get hopeless it isn't long before they go."

Some nights, the dining room at Highland Hills is filled with all of the rambunctious hijinks of a high school cafeteria, and everyone seems to try and get in on the fun. Just from looking, you would never think that anyone was close to death. But perhaps it is under the impending specter of death that people find the importance of savoring every minute of life.