For more than 20 years, I’ve brought music and movement into senior-living communities, serving people of all ages and abilities. This has taught me that almost everyone can participate. We simply have to give people the opportunity to do it in their own way.
I have watched people dance from their chairs when standing was not possible. Sometimes it begins with someone moving only a hand, a shoulder or a foot. Then the music takes over, and before long, that person is fully involved.
I have witnessed songs familiar to a person bring back memories and emotions. You can see it happen in someone’s face.
To me, quality of life is an essential part of our overall health. It comes from experiences that move us physically, mentally and emotionally. Music can do all three. It moves the body, stimulates the mind and brings memories and emotions back to life.
But I do not do this work alone.
In nearly every senior community I visit, an activity director helps make that connection possible. They know who will participate immediately, who needs encouragement and who may be participating quietly, even if no one else notices. They help me understand how to reach the people in front of me.
Their work is more than planning activities and filling a calendar. They are often among the staff members who develop the closest and most consistent relationships with residents. They understand individual personalities, interests and abilities. They recognize when someone needs extra support and when quiet participation is meaningful.
Medical care is essential, but good care involves more than medicine. Sometimes quality of life comes from a conversation, a game, a movie night, an art project, a musical performance or simply sitting beside someone while painting their nails. These moments may appear small from the outside. But to the person living there, that might be the best part of their day.
Think about how much attention we give to the experience our children will have when they leave for college. We ask about experiences beyond the classroom such as recreation, student organizations and social opportunities. Why wouldn’t we ask similar questions when choosing a community for an older person we love?
For many residents, particularly those with limited mobility or no transportation, their senior-living community becomes the center of daily life. They cannot always leave to find companionship, entertainment or something meaningful to do which makes the events that happen inside the community even more important.
Someday, it could be my mother or yours living in one of these communities. Someday, it could be me, you or someone else we love. When that day comes, we will want more than good medical care. We will want opportunities to ensure we all remain engaged, experience joy and stay connected to who we are.
When activity professionals gain new skills, exchange ideas and build relationships with colleagues who understand their work, residents benefit directly. Such an opportunity is right around the corner: The Illinois Activity Professionals Association’s 47th annual conference will be held on Oct. 7-9, at the Park Regency Hotel & Conference Center in Bloomington. Activity professionals will receive training, earn continuing-education hours and share practical approaches for serving residents with different needs and abilities.
One person may know how to include someone with limited mobility into an activity that requires movement. Another may have developed a program that reaches residents living with dementia. Someone else may have found a way to connect with a person who rarely participates. When professionals share activities that have worked well for their residents, that one activity can potentially improve the lives of hundreds more.
This is just one reason why I hope senior-living communities in the Springfield area will support their activity professionals’ participation in this conference. It’s a practical way to strengthen the quality work already happening inside their communities.
Supporting professional growth of activity directors is an investment in how fully residents continue to live, not simply how long.
Julio Barrenzuela, known as The Salsa Ambassador, has spent more than 20 years using music, movement and culture to connect people of all ages and abilities.
This article appears in October SBJ 2026.