HHS Funds Elder Care Concert Series
$5,000 grant matched by the City of Reno; first concerts held May 15-16

June 3, 2002 – Healing HealthCare Systems (HHS) has given $5,000 to the Sierra Arts Foundation of Reno, NV, to provide concerts for the confined elderly. Matched by the City of Reno Arts and Culture Commission, the funds are paying for 40 one-hour concerts for residents in the Truckee Meadows assisted living, daycare, and nursing home facilities.

“The Elder Care Concert Series is part of our commitment to enrich the quality of care for those confined by virtue of a health crisis or condition,” says Susan Mazer, president, HHS. “We hope that it will become a model for other communities across the country.”

The first concert in the series was given by internationally known Irish musician, Tommy Sands to Alzheimer’s residents at Clare Bridge and Alterra Winwood facilities in Sparks on May 15th and 16th, 2002.

Mazer and partner, Dallas Smith, came up with the idea for the concert series after performing for residents in an assisted living facility in Georgia where Smith’s mother and father resided. His mother died in January, making their November performance the last memory of her having experienced the joy of music prior to a fall and ensuing complications. Trained as classical musicians, this husband and wife team spent the first 20 years of their careers as full-time performing and recording artists.

“Our experience and research has shown that music, in its highest form, positively affects how residents feel about themselves and their situation, making those musical moments ones in which the sense of well-being transcends suffering,” says Mazer.

To participate in the concert series, owners/operators must participate in an orientation session. Training and guidelines are also provided for musicians. “This is both necessary to optimize the experience for both residents and musicians,” says Mazer.

Founded in 1992, Healing HealthCare Systems produces The C.A.R.E. Channel and other products and services that assist healthcare organizations in creating and sustaining clinical environments that are directly supportive of healing and recovery. HHS is currently serving hospitals in over 35 states

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