President Joe Biden declared this week as National Volunteer Appreciation Week and we are celebrating one very special volunteer at Oak Hammock. Our very own Phil Morrison has recently won a national award for his efforts with a program for seniors called Music & Memory.

Phil was honored and awarded the National Volunteer of the Year from the National Association of Activity Professionals, or NAAP at the 42nd Annual NAAP Conference in Minnasota last week. Morrison has been volunteering with the life enrichment team at Oak Hammock since 2016. Through the Music & Memory program, he has improved the quality of life for more than 100 residents. He, along with fellow resident Henri Logan, began collecting songs several years ago and have compiled a digital library that includes every top-10 song from 1930 to 1970.

Morrison meets with and interviews residents who have expressed an interest in the program. He plays songs from every era and genre, as well as tunes that may have a specific memory linked to them, like a wedding dance or school fight song. When the residents respond in a positive way, Phil marks that song for addition to a customized playlist specifically for that resident. That playlist is then given to the resident on a digital device that everyone, from the residents themselves to the nurses, can play as frequently as they like.

If you are interested in learning more about Music & Memory, click the link below.
https://musicandmemory.org/