Using music to help fight loneliness in long-term care


In the summer of 2017, staff at the Fenelon Court Long Term Care Centre, in Fenelon Falls, an hour away from Peterborough, made a surprising discovery about a 99-year-old resident who had resisted leaving the dining room after meals. When ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” started playing on the loudspeakers, she spontaneously stood up.

The insight allowed staff to help ease the resident’s transition back to her room. “We would hold her hand, and we could dance her out of the dining room,” says Sharon Yeo, the centre’s recreation manager and volunteer coordinator.


This story has been published by Dylan Klempner and TVO on February 11, 2019. To read the full story and learn more about the music program in place at Fenelon Court, click here.