Adele

Kathleen Forsythe is the resident music expert at Greenridge Senior Care center in El Sobrante.

“I listen to Eric Clapton, Boz Scaggs and a little bit of Maroon 5,” she says with a smile that lights up the room. “I like pop music — like Adele.”

But the 65-year-old El Sobrante native, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, doesn’t just listen to music. She lives it. She likes to talk about it with the staff at the center and share her musical discoveries.

“She introduced me to (rapper) Pitbull,” confirms Michelle Watson, Greenridge’s activity director.

Pitbull, Clapton, Adele – those are just some of the artists Forsythe can enjoy on her iPod, thanks to a program administered by LITA (Love Is The Answer) of Contra Costa. She’s looking forward to having more songs downloaded to her device soon, so that she can crank up some new tunes and get connected to what’s going in rock, pop and hip-hop.

“Music is part of my life,” says Forsythe, who grew up listening to the likes of the Beatles and Peter, Paul and Mary. “It makes me feel like I’m up on what’s going on in the world.”

Forsythe has been able to nurture her passion for song through the Music Awakenings IPod Compassion Project, one of the many efforts by LITA to improve the quality of life for those in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in Contra Costa County.

LITA of Contra Costa has received funding this year from Share the Spirit, an annual holiday campaign that serves needy residents in the East Bay. The grant is administered by the Contra Costa Crisis Center, and donations support programs of more than 40 nonprofit agencies in Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

Currently, the nonprofit agency is providing iPods to multiple residents at Greenridge, Shields Nursing Center in El Cerrito, and Legacy Nursing and Rehabilitation center in Martinez.

“The whole purpose is to simply alleviate the isolation and loneliness that happens to people when they have to leave home and live in an institution,” explains LITA of Contra Costa Director Victoria Ryan.

LITA has long turned to music to help accomplish that goal. The organization initially focused on bringing in artists (such as Ryan herself) to perform for residents but then expanded to offering recorded music via CD players. Now, LITA has updated its service through the iPod program, which is working out quite well for these seniors and disabled residents, many of whom have limited mobility.

“The iPod thing turned out to be pretty workable for someone in a bed, because they could clip the little iPod on their nightshirt,” Ryan says.

Since the program began in 2013, LITA has provided more than 100 iPods to residents of these skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. And Ryan hopes to expand the service to such places as the Willow Pass Healthcare Center in Concord.

Of course, an iPod is only as good as its music library. And the library should differ to suit each iPod user.

For instance, while Forsythe digs Pitbull, Adele and Maroon 5, others might prefer Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone and Smokey Robinson. So, Ryan works with the iPod recipients — and, in some cases, their family members — to load up the devices with music that resonates in each particular case.

Then residents simply slip on the headphones, push play and groove to the music.

Besides providing entertainment, these iPods also seem to have some therapeutic benefits.

“If (Forsythe’s) having a bad Parkinson day and she’s shaking, she’ll put on her iPod and it will alleviate somewhat,” Watson says.

Call it the calming effect of music. And it’s something that can be very useful in these centers, where cases of dementia can make it difficult for workers to bathe, dress, feed and otherwise care for the residents.

“But we’ve discovered – and I’ve loved seeing it over and over – is you put someone’s favorite music on and all the resistance goes away and they become very cooperative,” Ryan says. “They become absorbed in the world of the music they love and are not focused on what probably seems like some fearful action on the part of somebody toward them.”

The iPod Compassion Project is just one service that LITA provides for the centers. Ryan still takes her guitar in to play and sing for the residents, who enjoy her talent – whether or not they actually realize they are listening to such an accomplished performer. (Ryan released two albums in the early ‘70s, was managed by the legendary Bill Graham and toured the country as the opening act for Cat Stevens, James Taylor and others.)

LITA also works to brighten up the holiday season for seniors and others. It hosted its fourth annual card-making event on Nov. 23-24 at the Old Port Costa School. The cards will later be given out to senior hospital residents. LITA will also be hosting caroling events.

For details on how to get involved with these and other LITA events, as well as for more volunteer opportunities and how to support the organization, visit http://ift.tt/2jf4wvc.

The Share the Spirit holiday campaign, sponsored by the Bay Area News Group, serves needy residents of Alameda and Contra Costa counties by funding nonprofit holiday and outreach programs.

To make a tax-deductible contribution, clip the coupon accompanying this story or go to http://ift.tt/2hsVPKV.

Readers with questions, and individuals or businesses interested in making large contributions, may contact the Contra Costa Crisis Center, which administers the fund, at 925-939-1916, ext. 408, or sharethespirit@crisis-center.org.