The Nursing Home as Village: Lessons from Ethnomusicology

Abstract

Gene Cohen leaves us with a challenge: he has demonstrated that elders benefit from creative activities, but he has left unanswered the questions of how creativity fits into late-life learning and why it is important. In response, this article uses ethnomusicology, the study of music and culture, in order to uncover how nursing homes function as villages, and thereby makes explicit the reasons why music enables elders and their caregivers to create homes out of institutions. By recognizing the significance of music within institutions, we can lay the groundwork for more humane models of custodial care for our elders.