Talking to a Drum Beat

Bob has Parkinsons. He was lying in bed when I poked my head in the door after knocking. When I walked in with the drum he sat up. “Feel the top of this drum, “ I said quietly as I sat down in front of him with the drum between us. “It is made of animal skin.” “Look at the carvings on the wood.” We touched, talked about and even smelled the drum. I began a rhythm. He joined me as we did the rhythm together. I asked him to do his rhythm while I listened. I validated him by echoing his movements and rhythm. We sang songs as we beat different tempos.

The best part when we conversed with our drum beats. Bob could not be very well understood because his speech was affected. I started talking to him as I beat the drum with each syllable. He responded. I discovered that I could understand him better when he beat the drum. We had a wonderful conversation.