The "Early Stage" mentioned here represents the first 56 chapters of the Lewy Body Dialogue blog.
The chapters presented on this page were originally written between 2018-2020, representing the first two years after Pat was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia and perhaps 3-4 years after Pat's Lewy Body symptoms began altering our lives. This page is intended to help people new to the Lewy Body experience -- "patients," care partners, professional caregivers, concerned friends and family members. Although everyone with Lewy Body develops their own unique set of experiences, we've tried to focus upon issues that a large number of people with Lewy Body confront.
If you also wish to follow how Pat and I did as she has progressed into the later stages of Lewy Body, please go to the page entitled "This Week's Later Stage Lewy Body Dialogue Chapter."
Pat passed away on July 1, 2022. Ron has now begun a new series entitled "Living Alone After Lewy Body." You may go to that page to read the introduction and new chapters as they are written.
Ch.40. Pat Joins a Memory Choir.
August 2019. Several months ago, Pat and I attended a memory care conference in Eau Claire. We walked through the exhibitor booths and met an energetic and friendly woman named Cathy Reitz. Cathy is a retired music teacher who directs the Stand in the Light Memory Choir. Members of the choir all have memory loss issues or are with someone with memory loss or are volunteers who partner with memory loss participants. Cathy invited us to join the choir when it restarted in the fall. She then sent us a reminder before the first fall rehearsal.
Pat has an excellent soprano voice; she was a soloist in high school and sang with symphony orchestras, but she hadn’t been singing recently. She decided to go to the rehearsal. There, at a local church, we found about 40-50 participants, many of whom were repeaters from the year before. After coffee and treats everybody adjourned to the performance area and found places to sit or stand. Pat, being small, was assigned to sit in the second chair in the first row and was given a partner who sat next to her. I chose to watch rather than sing. I wanted Pat to have something that was hers and I wanted a chance to feel proud of her.
Wow! There Pat stood, talking animatedly with her volunteer partner. And another Wow! when the singing began Pat was smiling; she was reading the words easily; she was singing; most of all, she looked joyful. She was relaxed and spirited. And I did feel a sense of pride to see my wonderful wife enjoying life and feeling competent.
We’re going back next week for the second rehearsal.
Pat’s response to “Pat Joins a Memory Choir.”
I was a soloist in high school and I also took singing lessons from Madie Metzger-Ziegler who sang at times for orchestras in New York.
Ron chose to watch and sat attentive. And the lady next to me said he was very handsome. She specifically asked if he was my husband.
I knew several of the songs although they were arranged in specific ways, differently than I had seen before. I felt I was singing well and on key and I was enjoying myself. I was proud of singing in that choir. I can’t wait to go back.
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