It’s a song they’ve all heard hundreds of times before: “It’s Now or Never.” 

The classic 1960 Elvis Presley song is being played in the Harbor View Cottage’s music room.

A guest pianist plays the song and other memorable tunes for the residents diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or forms of dementia.

Guest musicians visit the Newcastle long term care home three to five times per week for both entertainment and treatment purposes. Music is part of the Harbor View Cottage’s 24/7 treatment for its six patients diagnosed with dementia.

Other treatment methods include walking in a beautiful outdoor garden, taking field trips to place like the Windsor Fair, participating in recreational activities, making arts and crafts, and solving puzzles.

Since there is no cure for dementia, treatment is limited to keeping the patients safe, happy and comfortable. Other forms of care include putting cool water on patient’s feet on a hot summer’s day or a therapeutic hand massage in the evening.

“It’s all about creating a sense of calmness and well-being,” said Lincoln Home executive director and administrator Lynn Norgang. “They may have trouble remembering names and places, but they know if they are happy, scared or unhappy. Our job is to focus on the now, and keep them busy with a lot of fun activities.”

And music plays a major role in the patient’s daily lives. Music stimulates the brain’s medulla, which controls a person’s emotions and feelings. Music creates a positive reaction within the patient, according to Harbor View Cottage registered nurse Linda Ross. The music makes a patient who may struggle communicating and transforms him or her into someone who is able to sing a classic tune.  

“Music follows a different pathway in the brain. It stimulates something and makes them feel good,” Ross said. “Patients who normally wouldn’t communicate otherwise will sing familiar hymns and golden oldies.”

While the patients struggle with long and short term memory, the lyrics seem to be readily available in their brains. This is why the Harbor View Cottage staff brings in musicians.  The patients hear a variety of musicians play the piano, accordion, ukulele and saxophone.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. The affliction is a prolonged process where a person begins losing their memory. Dementia causes memory loss resulting in difficulty remembering names, people and events. Eventually, the brain deteriorates to where the patient has trouble remembering to chew and swallow food, according to Norgang.

Lincoln Home purchased the former Newcastle boarding home in 2010. The house was renovated into a long term care facility for memory loss patients.

Lincoln Home purchased Harbor View Cottage to add to its long term senior housing options. Lincoln Home also offers affordable senior housing for independent living, assisted living and respite care in Newcastle. The Harbor View Cottage has the capacity for 12 residents with private and semi-private rooms.

The residence is designed with the residents’ special needs in mind. Residents can admire the outdoor garden’s beauty as it has flowers, shrubs, bushes and vegetables. It also has an endless pathway so the residents can take a long walk without leaving the garden.

“Wandering is part of the disease process,” Ross said. “Dementia patients will walk for a long time. The endless path lets them keep going until they are done. So they never leave the garden.”

Inside, the home is equipped with ambient and indirect lighting. A brightly lit room helps combat the agitation and anxiety that can accompany patients’ vision problems.

“People with cognizant disorders have a harder time seeing,” Ross said. “They want a room lit as brightly as possible to help them distinguish colors and shapes. This helps them differentiate the color of the walls from the door jams.”

The Harbor View Cottage has had residents as young as 60. The current residents are 87 or older. Five are in their 90s with oldest at 97. While the residents’ minds may not be strong, their bodies remain vibrant. Each day, the staff provides activities to keep them active and engaged.

The staff also plans special events and trips.

“There is annual baseball game complete with hot dogs and beer. There are cheerleaders rooting on the players, and everybody has a good time. The residents also talk about past trips to Wrigley Field,” Norgang said. “We also took a trip to the Windsor Fair this year and the highlight was riding the Ferris wheel.”

No two dementia cases are alike, according to Norgang. The disease seems to affect individuals uniquely. While some patients have no recollections of past events, some have vague remembrances.

Norgang likes to recount a female patient’s interaction with a male relative. She asks “Are you my brother? Are you my father? Are you my husband?

The man responds, “No, I’m your son.”

“I knew you were someone I loved,” the woman said.

Norgang said it isn’t important if the patients have trouble remembering basic information or recent events.

“If they call you by the wrong name, it’s no big deal,” Norgang said. “If you correct them it will just cause confusion or anxiety. And while they don’t readily recall names, they usually know faces.”

In April, an addition was added to the cottage. An elevator and more rooms were part of the expansion. The elevator means residents who previously couldn’t navigate the stairs can now stay longer.

Norgang characterized Harbor View Cottage as being a competitively priced long term care option. The monthly cost is $6,100. According to Norgang, $7,800 is the average cost for similar facilities in the region. She also believes residents receive great care because the patient to staff ratio is 2:1.

“We are able to keep our costs down by staffing sensibly,” Norgang said. “No doubt it still is a lot of money, but the residents receive outstanding care.”

Ross has worked at the Harbor View Cottage for over two years. Ross says it’s the best job she’s ever had.

“I love it because I can spend quality time with the residents,” she said. “I can help them participate in an activity or just sit and hold their hand. It is a 180 degree difference than working in a nursing home.”

Norgang agreed working at Lincoln Home and Harbor View Cottage is a rewarding experience. Norgang said there isn’t a day when she isn’t given a gift by just being around the residents who live in the homes or from the people caring for them.