Goodwill At Home Enables Local Musician to Age in Place
By Seth Rankin, Goodwill Industries of Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs LIVING WELL Magazine
At Goodwill®, we believe each person’s story is made up of many choices. These choices weave through each day becoming like a thread binding our story together. Where you decide to live as you grow older will be one of the most significant choices you make. We recently sat down to chat with Roy Gray, a bit of a local celebrity and a client of Goodwill At Home where he receives personal care services to help him remain independent at home. A musician, he’s played country, western and bluegrass across town for years and recently turned 100.
What instruments do you play and do you still play gigs around town?
Mainly I play the guitar, the banjo and the harmonica. I never had a lesson, I just taught myself. I’ve played the harmonica for as long as I can remember and my mom bought me my first guitar when I was 21. The last time I performed in front of an audience was somewhere between three to five years ago, I stopped playing for awhile because I have some arthritis in my hands.
What are some of your favorite memories of playing?
One of my favorites was when I turned 85. There were 27 musicians and I had previously played with all but one of them. It was a huge jam session. I also have some fun memories of playing at the local senior center. I remember some of the seniors walking in slowly. As the show went on, I kept picking up the pace of the music – then somewhere in the middle, these same seniors got up and started dancing the jitterbug, if you can believe it.
So, you recently turned 100 years old and we all want to know, what’s the secret?
I get asked that all the time (he laughs). There are two things I always say: First, stay active; don’t let the rocking chair get you. I retired at 66 from my career but after that I still played gigs all over town, I still went dancing. Second, don’t worry about things, like getting old. Over the years I’ve had four bypass surgeries, had my gall bladder removed and had a majority of my stomach removed but I didn’t let that keep me down, I have always stayed active and now look at me!
You receive services from Goodwill At Home, what kind of services do you receive?
Kathy comes in here one day a week for two to three hours and does the laundry, vacuums and mops the floor. She’s great; I wish I could have her here more often. We talk a lot, she’s very sharp and she’s a great listener.
Roy, thank you for your time; one last question – what’s next?
I’ve been practicing my guitar again, not to perform but to play with a couple of old pals and for folks that come by the house.
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People of all ages value their ability to live independently; yet maintaining independence is sometimes difficult as we age. With this in mind, we offer life solutions for aging in place. One of these solutions is Goodwill At Home. Goodwill At Home offers in-home care providing companionship and non-medical assistance.
For more assistance on how to age in place, please contact Seth Rankin, sales and marketing specialist, at 719-381-9468 or info@goodwill-colosprings.org.
