When you hear the song You Are My Sunshine, does it make you think of a family member? A resident? A patient? Does it bring up a childhood memory? A memory of your own children, perhaps?
You Are My Sunshine is a song that my grandmother sang to my mother. My mother sang to me and my brother. (She always called my brother, her sunshine.) I sang it to my children who are now 29 and 26 years old. We all sing it to my 5 year old. This is a song that travels throughout the decades like a comfy blanket. Generation after generation, it continues to bring smiles to people who were crying and anxious. Sad or lonely. It brings a sweet happiness to hearts all over. I have a program called “Bedside Serenade” that I do with a few partners in the field. (Gina Barnett from Embracing Hospice and Katie Chambers from Holisticare Hospice) The power of this song is unbelievable. Staff, families of all ages and patients will join in and sing.
My daughter and I went in the studio and recorded this version of the song and we added a verse for those with dementia. We would like to offer the song as an ONGOING fundraiser for Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey. We opened this online fundraiser up at the Music Thru the Generations event at the House Of Independence brilliantly put together by The Gardens at Monroe and Imperial Healthcare. We have decided to keep this running to raise awareness of the power that music has on those with Dementia. Let’s join forces as healthcare professionals and share this on your sites as well. Caring Connections of New Jersey and Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey has a long standing partnership and if we can help them bring awareness to their Connection thru Music program, we should continue to do so! Will you help us?
Please download and share our song “You Are My Sunshine” to benefit Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey. Visit https://sheliaardenmonacchio.bandcamp.com/ . You can donate the amount of money you choose. ALL PROCEEDS GO TO CAREGIVER VOLUNTEERS OF CENTRAL JERSEY.
To learn more about Caregivers of Central Jersey, please visit http://caregivervolunteers.org/.
