Giving the Gift of Music to Isolated Seniors
Publication Date: 8/17/2007
This summer, Rev. Mary M. Porter ’65 was featured in a television segment called “The Spirit of Alabama.” Porter is a cofounder and codirector of Ruth and Naomi Senior Outreach (RNSO), a spiritual support organization for the elderly in Birmingham, AL.
According to Porter, the group provides pastoral care to elder “orphans” and isolated seniors with the help of harps, voice and a therapy dog.
They use the harp to play familiar, comforting music for those who they visit. “We have received specialized training to use music in this work,” Porter says.