April is National Volunteer Month. We want to take this opportunity to thank all of our volunteers for all they do. Their donating of their time, energy, and spirit is an excellent service to our CMSS community. Today, we want to highlight one of our wonderful volunteers, Jackie Criswell.

Jackie brings joy to our community through the Sing Out Loud program. “I started Sing Out Loud because my Dad had a stroke that took his ability to talk and swallow out of the blue,” she shared. “After therapy, he was able to talk again, but during this experience, I discovered that while he couldn’t talk to me, we could still sing hundreds of songs. Later, when he had dementia, and his speech began to fail, singing was everything. I learned that singing is a way to communicate.”

Residents take the lead in what songs are sung through the Sing Out Loud program, giving themselves ownership of the program and inspiring them to be more confident and animated.

“It has been so uplifting to see how the program has given family members a new way to communicate,” Jackie says. “Many have shared that they had no idea their loved ones could still respond, sing, or knew so many songs. Now they sing with their loved ones when we aren’t there. Family members often join the sessions as a way to communicate/connect and share their joy.”

The Sing Out Loud program has opened new avenues of communication for our residents.  We are grateful for Jackie and the Sing Out Loud program’s impact on our community.