Volunteering at these different places has helped me understand and always gain perspective on my life. Seeing the elderly still be cheery despite their many challenges, or seeing the ways in which pure human connection can make a difference, always emphasises that each person feels the same emotions. Before volunteering, I always feel a little awkward, but I always leave feeling like I could stay longer. hearing them talk of their lives, their children, their struggles – all of it gives me contentment.

I just started volunteering at the National Kidney Foundation. All of in-person volunteering has been terminated for a long time, so it was really nice to see it opening up again. I attended a training session from the NKF official centre, learning wheelchair handling and how to talk to patients as well. I was quite nervous because it’s been a while since I’ve done in-person volunteering, especially with elderly. However, once I got there, all the nurses were extremely helpful, and they all directed me with lots of patience despite their busy schedules. I learned how Mr.IQ triages patients before they enter the clinic because of govt requirements. Once I got the hang of it, I was able to do it independently, without IQ (though I was nervous!) Now I’m a little more comfortable, and I’ve even made some friends 🙂

It’s been a really nice year. I’ve loved being part of this service that incorporates my love for music and connecting with people. Although it was very awkward at the beginning, as the residents could not hear, or they would be extremely moody, we grew accustomed to it. I realised it was really nice to be able to just listen to music with them, and see how they started clapping/dancing/singing. It was so heartening. Due to our school shutting down in May and June, we could not actually conduct any live MT sessions; instead we were planning for our year ahead. I’m excited about the potential this upcoming project holds.

Having the opportunity to conduct music therapy with Apex harmony residents with AD became less daunting as I became more familiar with it. However, I learned to consider many nuances before each session in order to have successful sessions. Something I had not considered was being deliberate and sensitive about any questions that we may ask. Adjusting to the personality of the resident, and learning to be a bit more cautious before asking about loved ones and family members was something that I had never considered. This experience definitely heightened my awareness of the cultural and societal context and brought a new sensitivity and empathy in my communication with the seniors. This will prove to be an invaluable skill; seeking to pause and reflect on what may be the resident’s background, and consequently, what matters should be dealt with carefully, or avoided altogether.

I did my EE on this topic because I became incredibly involved in the work that we were doing when calling the residents, and seeing the effects play out in front of me furthered my interest in the “WHY” MT works for individuals. I wrote a 4000 word research paper which looks at which types of music are best for elderly with AD, and why it may be so. I also evaluated the research itself, and by doing so, this made me a lot more intentional about the types of music and the way in which we were conducting MT ourselves. This showed me how important the role of research is in my service, and made me realise I can always incorporate the two!

I have learned that it’s important to be flexible when it comes to planning sessions and implementing them. Now, we are taking a break from actually conducting MT sessions, and instead are working on another project which will hopefully be able to generate songs that will eventually be specific to an individual’s liking and background. The idea is to create an app which essentially uses it’s information technology to create a profile for each elderly individual, to make the selection of music much easier and effective. I find this very interesting and made me realise it’s always important to think about “What’s next?” when doing anything, including service.

This activity has definitely been quite challenging for me because nothing about this service has been running conventionally. We have to persevere when communicating with the residents online because not only are language barriers present, but the residents are unfamiliar with digital platforms, there are technical difficulties and it obstructs us from forming a more personal bond with them. It’s been immensely challenging to work within the COVID restrictions and create a meaningful experience at the same time, therefore it requires a positive and determined mindset in order to keep going. We constantly learn from one another in the way that we should interact with the residents – sometimes I’m not sure what question to ask next and my groupmate fills in, or vice versa. This added collaborative aspect not only helps us learn ways in which we can improve our own communication when there might be barriers, but also helps bring us closer as a group due to this unique shared experience. To truly be successful with this service, we must continue to persevere and commit fully to this activity.

I have now attended two sessions of my local service. I wanted to take part in this service since Grade 10 but couldn’t due to outside of school committments, but this year I’m free and able to commit my time to this incredible cause. I always think that working with the elderly is so important, because if you think about it, elderly folk don’t feel old at heart really – they still feel young, they want to live their life and not depend on others. Your mind stays youthful yet your body doesn’t follow. The issue this service combats specifically is dementia and Alzheimer’s, a disease that 1 person is diagnosed with every four seconds (“What is Alzheimer’s disease?” – Ivan Seah Yu Jun) This disease slowly takes away everything that we believe makes up a person: their memories, their personality and sense of self, and this is a problem that not only affects the individual themselves but hurts those close to them too. This is a significant issue because it is a disease that we don’t have the cure to yet, and it isn’t specific to one race or one nationality. It’s an international disease, which doesn’t discriminate against anybody. I am excited to learn more about how to even help make the days of those who have dementia a little bit better, and the science behind music therapy to aid in their memory recall (even if just temporarily). I am really hoping that we’ll be able to go and make a difference in these people’s lives, even if its just for five minutes.