Seniors enjoy a trip down ‘Memory Lane’

ROSTHERN — Memory Lane is a band that calls Saskatoon home but travels around entertaining senior groups around central Saskatchewan. The trio, consisting of Rachael Jardine, Gord Lane and Karl Rogalisky, entertained approximately 45 guests at the Rosthern Seniors’ Center on the evening of April 10.

The center continues to offer older adults the opportunity to get out and socialize twice a week over cards, shuffleboard and billiards. Everyone is welcome to attend the monthly entertainment evenings where you can enjoy live music and enjoy a drink later.

Featuring over an hour of covers of popular traditional country and gospel songs by Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams and the Everly Brothers, they even offered up a rendition of The Beatles’ ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da .” An interesting side note about this song is that the term ‘Obladi -Oblada’ would be Urhobo (a people from southern Nigeria) for ‘life goes on’. An acquaintance of Paul McCartney, Jimmy Scott-Emuakpor, a Nigerian conga player, used the phrase which McCartney and Lennon subsequently wrote in a song. Whether it was the sing-along song, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” or Alabama’s “High Cotton,” the music reached the audience and drew them in.

Music has been shown to activate almost all of the brain’s diverse networks and memory areas, including those involved in well-being, learning, cognitive function and quality of life, and, interestingly, music activates the motor system. There is only one other situation in which so many brain networks are activated simultaneously, and that is during participation in social activities. It is theorized that it is the activation of the brain’s motor system that allows individuals to distinguish the rhythm of the music. Music can relax or energize the body because brain waves can synchronize with the rhythm of a song.

Every year of a person’s life brings new developments, and growing older does not mean that life stops changing. As older adults enter their retirement and assisted living communities, they face new routines and new mental and physical challenges. By being involved with music, both as a participant and as a listener, seniors benefit greatly. While there is no one best type of musical intervention, magic song, or perfect genre to make difficult things in life easier, music can be a powerful agent of change and when combined with social interactions, it’s a win-win. The Rosthern Seniors’ Club Board strives to provide these opportunities to any senior who wishes to become a member, regardless of where he or she calls home.