MGordon_MD
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Aug 21, 2008, 12:03 PM
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By Dr. Michael Gordon
It was a strange clinic day. What made that day strange, in a positive way, is that two of my long-standing patients sang for me as part of the visit. Over the years I have had each of them sing but never both on the same day. One may ask why a patient would sing for the doctor - could it be because I was a medical specialist that focused on singers with voice problems, which is not the case. I am a geriatrician; the majority of my patients are 80 and 90 years or more.
The first patient visiting my office again is a very accomplished and renowned cantor, is well known in the community, and is afflicted with Parkinson’s disease. He struggles along with his family and treating physicians to find ways to improve his function. At one point he could not vocalize sufficiently to sing. Fortunately, there was some return, and during the best of times he is able to sing a beautiful and sustained cantorial tune. On this particular day, after some time to talk, out it came, a beautiful and lyrical sound – first in the office and then while showing me his gait in the hallway - so all in the vicinity could benefit from the purity of his sound.
The second patient is a woman who is always accompanied by one if not two very devoted family members. She suffers from dementia but still lives with her family who are very supportive of her trying to be maintained at home rather than moving into a congregate living situation. Ever since I have met her she has told me how much she loves to sing. Some years ago, during the early part of our interaction, I had told her that my maternal grandmother sang in the Yiddish choir in New York. Not only did I hear lots of Yiddish signing as a child I accompanied her on the piano when she practiced for performances.
Invariably after our medical visit, the patient would tell me she was going to sing me a Yiddish song. In the earlier days she would sing one of a number of songs with all the lyrics. As time has gone by, and her language skills have deteriorated with the progress of the disease, the lyrics have become less robust, but the melody has remained true, and her voice clear and lyrical. The recent visit ended with her singing “My Yiddish mamma” in which the only words were the title words and the rest was humming and la la ing- but on beat and in tune. I sat, smiling at her as she sang and when she was finished I told her how much I enjoyed her singing for me. When I asked if she would come to see me again for a follow-up appointment she said, “Of course, I always want to see you and sing for you.”
Over the years medical colleagues have often questioned me how I am able to look after patients who are old, have many illnesses, and may be quite demented. “How can you really speak to them with any satisfaction”, I am often asked. I have frequently heard from medical trainees that some of their supervisors paint a rather negative picture of eldercare. From this I am saddened as many of these young medical students and post-graduate trainees have a natural inclination towards the elderly. I try to counter the negativity of others – sometimes being in a clinic in which two patients sing is a perfect and lyrical antidote.
This article originally appeared in The Canadian Jewish News.
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Dr. Michael Gordon is Medical Program Director, Palliative Care Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System in Toronto, Canada and Professor of Medicine, at the University of Toronto. He is co-author with Bart Mindszenthy of Parenting Your Parents.
Parenting Your Parents is available in bookstores and online at: Indigo-Chapters, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It is available in a US edition: Parenting Your Parents: Support Strategies for Meeting the Challenge of Aging in America.
For bulk orders email info@dundurn.com. Call: 416-214-5544 or Fax: 416-214-5556
Dr. Gordon is the author of the engaging memoir Brooklyn Beginnings: A Geriatrician's Odyssey, published by I-Universe.
Brooklyn Beginnings is available in bookstores and online at: Indigo-Chapters, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and I-Universe
Visit Dr. Michael Gordon's website.
(This post was edited by MGordon_MD on Aug 22, 2008, 7:15 AM)
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