For those members in the US, happy Labor day, everyone! (whether you have a job or not)

Unfortunately, my mother-in-law fell at home a few weeks ago and broke her right hip for a second time. The Dr’s said her bones were so weak and brittle, they couldn’t repair the hip and just removed it. They said she would never walk again on her own and would likely be wheelchair bound. She is now in a nursing home.

My wife (who is also disabled and wheelchair bound) visited her mother at the nursing home yesterday. As I began to explore the facility, I came across two rooms that had pianos… a faith chapel and an activity room. The faith chapel had the worst piano, an old Gulbransen spinet. It was way out of tune, but played okay and had several chipped keys. The activity room had a newer piano, a Brentwood continental console. The Brentwood was a much better piano than the Gulbransen, but it too was out of tune a good bit. I have heard of a Brentwood, but never seen one in person. I’m thinking it is one of the Chinese made stencils.

There were some older residents and visitors in the activity room and I didn’t want to impose on them… but as I was looking at the piano one of the suggested that I play something. I played a couple of church hymns as they sang along, and then one of them asked if I knew any boogie-woogie… that was all I needed to hear! So, I ripped out a familiar boogie-woogie tune and some of those old folks were clapping their hands, patting their feet and grinning from ear to ear. They didn’t want me to stop.

Anyway, I was thinking that those senior citizens deserve a piano that is tuned more regularly. I’m sure the owners of the nursing home are making a fair profit and can afford it… I’d offer to tune the pianos for free if I had the time…

Rick

I too have played piano on a few occasions at a retirement home and the residents sure were appreciative and didn't want me to stop, despite my very limited repertoire at the time.

That's disturbing news about your mother-in-law Rickster but on the slightly off-topic subject of the increasingly common and devastating hip fracture problem with the elderly, if people realized that drinking fluoridated water throughout their lives is extremely detrimental to their bones they would hopefully find an alternative water source.
Unfortunately fluoride is in almost everything now (any juices or prepared foods) so it is very hard to get your fluoride down to a safe level (which is zero actually).
Bones do gradually replace their cells so if you are able to remove fluoride from your diet then your bones should gradually rid themselves of this toxin.
Despite what we are being told it is not required for dental health because all studies show that there is no difference in dental health between communities that fluoridate and those that don't.
It is horrible that many elderly people actually die from the complications of a broken hip, especially when this problem can be easily avoided with knowledge.
http://www.fluoridation.com/bones.htm

This concludes this public service announcement.
Now back to pianos...

Ricky, that is really awful news about your MIL, I'm so sorry to hear of it. I hope the nursing home is a nice one.

How wonderful that you were able to put some smiles on faces with your music! I am sure it was a happy moment for all concerned.

I think Sparky raises an interesting (unhappy, but interesting) point - I have read (from more than one source) that there are serious and (it would seem legitimate) concerns that flouride is a contributor to thyroid issues.

I played a piano in the nursing home where my MIL is living, I was not surprised to find it out of tune. My MIL was my only listener (I don't know if I would have played had there been others...), she seemed to enjoy the pieces.

Hi There,

Happy Labor day to all at USA.
I work in India, for a US Client, so we have holiday.

Its good to hear that you played some good hymns and entertained the old people. I love to entertain people around me..

Rick,
My dad has been in a large facility. The independent living bought a Baldwin Grand M a few years ago( used but very good condition, I helped pick it out). The nursing care side had a rather bad spinet which I have never played. The assisted living part ( where my father is going to move to soon) has a Baldwin console ( fairly new). I have been so busy so haven't yet played there but I plan to. You are right about those folks wanting to hear live music. I pray that if I end up in a place like that ( which they are lovely settings), that people would be willing to come entertain for us. I used to take my school kids to another facility to perform but the management didn't like having to move the furniture around for such a large group and I didn't want to "cherry pick" who would perform. The legal issues got cumbersome so I gave up. Anyway, bless you!

Sorry to hear about your mother in law rickster, i hope she can still find joy in her remaining years.

Sparky, thank you for bringing up such an important issue and with you being a Canadian proving the fact that it is not just a problem in the U.S. Fortunately communities across the globe are finally waking up, reversing their "conspiracy paranoia rhetoric" directed at informed people like us and actually halting the use of fluoride in the water supplies.

Its too bad it took this long.

Thanks for the comments, All!

And Sparky, thanks for the info on the fluoride in the water. I live in the country and have had a bored well for 35 years. The little town I grew up in (Zebulon, Ga.) did have the treated water.

Anyway, like I said, I hate to hear any piano out of tune… I can’t play all that well, but a well tuned piano helps… (and I need all the help I can get ).

I remember years ago, when I was teenager, I was involved with a nursing home and jail ministry. The older residents of the nursing home loved the live music, as has been mentioned. However, back then, I played my stringed instruments… (guitar and 5-string banjo). The jail house ministry was quite unique… we got to perform for the prisoners while they were eating, and most were more interested in the food! I always wondered what they did to be in jail… but I never asked! Glad I’ve never been on the wrong side of the bars.

The Gulbransen spinet was very tinny and bright, like most old spinets. The Brentwood console sounded better. It would have sounded pretty decent if it had been in tune. Even with it being out of tune, the residents and visitors seemed to enjoy the playing. (Especially the boogie-woogie )

If it is where I ever have the time, I may contact the management/owners of the nursing home and volunteer to tune the pianos for free. With me being an apprentice tuner, it takes a long time for me to tune a piano (maybe two to three hours). And, as any tuner will tell you, it is a lot of work to tune a piano.

Now I know why real piano tuners charge what they do… they earn it!

Take care!

Rick

Most people don't know this but fluoridation of water is only allowed in 8 countries in the world. The vast majority of countries realize that it is unethical to invoke mass medication of the population with something that was never approved or even tested as a drug.
I only wish I had woken up to the fluoride situation much earlier since I used to drink copious amounts of tap water being an athlete growing up.
Apparently the neurological effects are irreversible but hopefully the other physiological effects can be reversed somewhat.
But the fact that the elderly are dying because of avoidable broken hips makes me absolutely furious.

That said, I think that it is great for us to play piano at every chance we get at a retirement home. Especially for those who never play in public since the reception you probably get should make you overcome any inhibitions that you may have.
I started when I went with my (ex)girlfriend to visit her dad after he had a stroke and was in a retirement home.
They had an upright near where they ate their meals and I started tinkling on it quietly at first while I had a few minutes to spare and I was eventually forced to continue for as long as I was there.
I loved it and made a point of going back to the home whenever I could with my girlfriend to visit her dad and to play some new pieces for the residents.