Those who don’t speak can still sing.
Jean Klein has been sharing some variation of that line for a long time. She admits she doesn’t understand it from a biological perspective, chalking it up to a mystery of the brain.
But she feels it.
It rings especially true when Klein plays piano for the memory care assisted living residents at Good Samaritan Society – Prairie Creek in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
“I’ve learned that Alzheimer’s doesn’t really affect the part of the brain that the stored music is in,” says Klein, who volunteers to play every Tuesday.
“Music is the pathway to the brain that not even dementia can affect,” adds activities coordinator Brittany Foos. “We’ll hold onto music long before anything else, and her being able to come every week and bring that to our residents is phenomenal.”
A request turns into a routine
Klein has been “in the church music business” since 1983, including 20 years as music director at St. Michael Parish.
“I’ve always had my fingers in things – banquets, weddings, funerals,” she says.
Klein retired in 2014, but continued to substitute teach in the Catholic school system, mostly for music or choir teachers. A request put her behind a piano at Prairie Creek about five years ago.
“Our secretary from St. Michael was starting to show signs of dementia and the family placed her in here. Her sister asked me if I would like to come and play here once in a while,” Klein says.
Klein put together song sheets, learning which songs residents would sing along with and which ones needed to be swapped out. The transformation among residents who may otherwise be nonverbal is inspiring.
“You start playing the piano and singing, and then their feet start tapping, and then they’re just kind of moving their head a little bit. And then they might know some words to the song,” Klein says. “You can tell it’s just really opened them up and you hit a place that they know.”
When Klein’s friend and connection to Prairie Creek passed away, Foos asked her to continue coming around to play.
Klein’s answer: “Certainly.”
“I think it really speaks to the character that she has,” says Prairie Creek memory care assisted living manager Kelsey Nicola. “She spent her life devoted to children and helping teach them music, and that passion that she has just has not left. We don’t see a lot of people who have that character that Jean has in our everyday life.”
‘It makes me feel whole again’
Like clockwork, Klein is tickling the ivories every Tuesday at Prairie Creek. She typically plays two half-hour sets, one for residents living on each side of the building.
“She’s just wonderful,” Foos says. “She connects with the residents. She’s fun. She’s bright. She’s the highlight of our week.”
For residents, the music unlocks a life once known.
“When she comes, it’s like opening the doors almost to a church, even if I don’t know the songs,” says resident Colleen Choate. “I don’t think I actually have the right words, but it really makes me feel whole again.”
Sitting in on one of Klein’s sing-alongs, it’s clearly more than a one-woman show.
“Jean is a blessing. She knows how to get people excited about things,” says resident Charla McGinnis. “There are some (residents) that’ll go, ‘Oh, I can’t. I couldn’t do that.’ But when something gets going and there’s something happening, they go, ‘Oh, that was fun.’ And the next thing you know they’re laughing.”
As McGinnis puts it, Klein “brings comfort to those who are feeling uncomfortable.”
“I don’t feel like this old person that somebody’s come to entertain me or help me. The joy of music just comes to me,” Choate says.
“I just start staring and watching them, and then I forget what I’m doing at the piano,” Klein says with a laugh. “It’s just marvelous to watch them just come out of that horrible disease.”
The music also has an impact on the staff.
“One of my favorite things about being here is seeing somebody, who hasn’t been able to communicate what their wants and needs are, come back to life,” Nicola says. “We catch glimpses of them, who they were when they were younger, and it helps us connect with them better.”
Small things with great love
On a Tuesday in mid-March, Klein couldn’t play because she was recovering from being sick. Foos asked her to drop by the center anyway, just for a moment.
What Klein didn’t know at the time was that Good Samaritan is honoring her as the National Ever Forward Volunteer Champion.
“I was so overcome,” Klein says. “And then Brittany, who had written in my honor, she’s sobbing over there and it kind of hit me then what happened.”
The announcement also included a bit of music. But for a change, Klein wasn’t the one doing the singing.
“At first when I walked in, I thought, ‘They did this for my birthday? Wait, they don’t know when my birthday is, do they?’” says Klein, who received the surprise on her birthday.
There are hints of music throughout the memory care assisted living center. Decorations like music notes and a radio resembling a mini jukebox highlight the importance of music for residents. Klein’s volunteer work strengthens that connection.
“Even if it’s somebody – a stranger essentially – even though they see them every day, that connection is everything. When you’ve lost so much, it’s just that little piece back of being normal,” Foos says.
“We see our residents at sometimes the darkest points in their lives and in their family members’ lives. That disappears for 30 minutes to an hour a week,” Nicola adds.
Klein says she never considered her volunteer work as anything special, but she hopes it inspires others to get involved.
“Mother Teresa had a saying about not all of us can do great things, but we can all do small things with great love,” Klein says. “So for me, this is a small thing with great love because I bring them joy, whether it’s an hour a week. That’s what I love.”
Learn more
- North Dakota girl with a goat wins volunteer of the year
- Dedicated husband, volunteer perks up long-term care center
- What to do when a loved one is diagnosed with dementia
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Posted In Awards & Recognition, People & Culture, Sanford Stories, Senior Services
