Stanley has been living at the assisted living facility since they opened two years ago. He is one of more than 60 residents all living with dementia or Alzheimer’s.
The unlikely friends met at Avita’s music generations class. Children from the community are welcomed every Friday to sing songs, play with instruments and games while more than 20 seniors look onward and participate if they are feeling up to the task.
Laurie Morse started bringing her son, Simon, and daughter, Etta, two years ago when Etta was just one.
One day, Etta ran up to a 95-year-old named Stanley.
She offered him an instrument as part of the facility’s weekly music classes. Not content to give him just one, however, she kept running back and forth between the pile, and Stanley eventually collected eight instruments. That’s when her mother realized that Etta and Stanley had formed a special bond.
“I have no idea when it actually started,” she confessed to reporters. “They just kind of have a little connection.”
Stanley is not always an early riser but on Fridays, Avita staff just mention Etta’s name and he gets ready for their visits, making sure to look his best, usually dressing up in a blazer.
Their connection is remarkable in more ways than one.
You see, Stanley doesn’t have the best memory for names and faces; like all of the residents of Avita, he has dementia. There are days when he doesn’t recognize Etta right away. However, the young girl is always patient with him, and their visits usually end with hugs and cuddles even if Stanley doesn’t quite remember her.
Their story gets even sweeter.
On good days, Stanley will wake up early just to see Etta. The caretakers at the facility will remind him that it’s a visiting day, and he’ll willingly get out of bed even though he isn’t an early riser in general. Once they’re together, the pair have a lot of fun. They sing, play instruments, draw pictures and compete in board games. They’ve even tackled puzzles together to help Stanley’s memory.
For Stanley, the visits are a reprieve from lonely days at the facility. For Etta, they’re a chance to expand her family.
“We came to visit him for his birthday,” Etta’s mother recalled, “and I asked if any family member was coming to visit, and he said no. And [Etta], out of the blue, goes, ‘Well, now you have our family.'”
Source:apost.com, newscentermaine.com
