'Make people happy': Musicians work to bring live music to retirement homes
There has been a recent push to introduce live music to seniors homes in order to make life a little brighter.
Walter Ostanek is a well known accordion player from St. Catherines who takes time to play at seniors homes while on tour.
“I try and make people happy and when they’re happy, they make me happy,” Ostanek told CTV News.
Two organizations are making it part of their mission to fund concerts for seniors, Concerts in Care and the Music Performance Trust Fund.
The seniors enjoy the music while musicians are fairly compensated for their work.
“We’ve been doing it all through the pandemic. We have masked up, we have been tested at the front door and they won’t let us in a lot of times unless we are absolutely sure that we don’t have COVID. We don’t mind that at all," said Brian Sklar.
“We want to stay healthy and we want to keep them healthy.”
Concerts in Care has provided over two thousand performances at seniors homes in Ontario and has branched out to other provinces like Saskatchewan where it has teamed up with the musicians union.
“It’s a great idea. They came here during COVID-19 and played outside and I think it did a lot for all of us,” said Patricia Popescul, who was present for the show.
By the end of each performance, it’s common for everyone to be on their feet, as the music brings joy to seniors who faced limited entertainment options during the pandemic.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Canadian government proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.