Each glass-topped wooden box hanging along the corridors of the Silverado home seals the memory of a resident. Eighty-eight-year-old Frank’s* box holds a model of the first plane he flew during the Korean war and a sticker from his alma mater, the Boston University School of Law.
This three-story private facility, which costs a resident $9,000 a month, is decorated as in old times: posters of the New Yorker from the 30s and 40s, Elvis Presley, and the film High Society hang in the corridors. Black-and-white films run on televisions in the shared area. Music from the last century, such as songs by Frank Sinatra, wafts through the hallways. The aroma of fresh cookies permeates every corner. Like an estimated 140 other facilities of its kind in Illinois, Silverado is a place where the staff is devoted to using the past to rebuild the lost connection between people with dementia and the present.
For a while, Frank insisted that Silverado was the law school where he taught 15 years ago. When I, a young Asian woman, visited, I met every description of the law school’s new dean, whom he had read about in the alumni magazine. He was sitting outside of his “office” (his room), doing his daily reading of the New York Times, when I walked in wearing Uggs and jeans. He took off his glasses, straightened up, smoothed his white T-shirt, and smiled warmly. “Are you looking for me?”
Only two or three of the 54 residents are aware of their own diseases. “It sounds terrible, but it’s almost a blessing,” said Myss. “And you want to have that good conversation with them that puts them in a positive place, that doesn’t make them feel like they have problems.”
Lisa and Frank arrived just when the session was about to begin. Music therapy, where a singer therapist performs while residents sing along and accompany on drums and rattles, is Frank’s favorite activity in the home. “Do you want to play the drum when I sing? I remember you’re a good drummer,” the therapist asked Frank. “Our theme is presidents today. Who’s your favorite president?”
*Some names have been changed.
