At Brookdale North Boynton Beach in Florida a friendship formed over a shared love of classical music. For Elaine Atlow, 80, and Barbara Walters, 94, music has had an immense impact on their lives but attending live musical performances has become more difficult as they grow older. Elaine and Barbara wished for nothing more than to go to one more Classical Music performance together.
Elaine and Barbara are regarded as the champions of their Brookdale community. Any time a new resident moves in they enjoy the opportunity to “take someone under their wings”. Barbara and Elaine have helped cultivate many communities’ throughout their lives. Barbara has been a member of the Junior League of the Palm Beaches for 50 years. This organization began during WWII and worked closely with the Red Cross. Presently the organization continues to work on major projects relevant to the community. Elaine is a part of Hadassah, a volunteer organization that is committed to helping the land and people of Israel. Elaine is especially passionate about this because her son is a Rabbi in Israel.
Wish of a Lifetime and Brookdale were happy to send Barbara and Elaine to the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, FL on February 24, 2016. The two were accompanied by Elaine’s case manager, Tiffany Forth. The three ladies were treated to a nice lunch followed by a pre-concert photography session in front of the Kravis Center.
Elaine and Barbara noted that the Philadelphia Orchestra put on a wonderful performance. After the show, they had the opportunity to go backstage and meet the members of the Orchestra. Elaine and Barbara left such an impression on them that the two have been invited back to attend next year’s performance.
Elaine and Barbara are living with severe memory impairments and it’s difficult for them to recall something that happened even moments before. Reconnecting with their love of music brought back many positive memories and even created room for new ones. Nancy Venezia, the Activity Coordinator at the community, said “It is interesting because Barbara who has severe short term memory loss was able to tell me every detail about her wish and went into great depth about what an amazing time she had.” The fact that the two were still on cloud 9 about this experience is a “miracle” according to Nancy.
Thank you to Angels Kiss Photography for capturing some wonderful moments throughout the day.
