Music needs

Heritage Manor Nursing Home is missing something.
The state-of-the-art facility in Ville Platte which opened last fall is already filled with residents and dedicated staff members, as well as plenty of high-end decor and modern technology. Yet, the one thing missing is the pleasant sounds of a piano echoing throughout the halls.
The nursing home’s old location had a piano in the activities room for decades. Every week a piano player would come by to entertain the residents, and that was in addition to all the special visits from area schools during the holidays.
The piano itself though was not in good enough condition to survive the relocation, and so there is no piano to be played at the new facility.
“I knew the condition of the old piano from my years serving as the choir director at Sacred Heart School,” Heritage Manor volunteer Karen Soileau said. “We had been there many times and we used that piano. I knew it wasn’t in great shape but when I went in this past December to start volunteering and they showed me around I asked where the piano was. They told me that the condition was so poor that it was unable to be moved.”
“I was so upset that we couldn’t move it,” Heritage Manor Resident Activities Director Patricia Duplechin said. “But that’s when Karen stepped in. She asked how would we feel about her trying to help us get another piano. We were thrilled.”
So that inspired Soileau to ask her community for their help in once again having live music provided to the residents of Heritage Manor Nursing Home, in the form of someone or some group or business donating a piano, which can either be new or slightly used.
“Many of the residents here come from an era where live music was so important,” Soileau said. “Many of them played instruments themselves, including the piano. It is so important for us to provide that to them.”
“Every time someone has come to play the piano it makes the residents so happy,” Duplechin added. “I think it reminds them about the days gone by. Having that live music is just our way of enhancing their quality of life.”
Tim Swinnea may not be a resident at the home or even a resident of the parish, but he is looking forward to when a piano is once again inside Heritage Manor.
The Bayou Chicot native, and current Oakdale resident, learned how to play the piano as a small child and has continued that musical passion ever since. A few years ago, Swinnea began to play at the nursing home in Oakdale, and then others were added including facilities in Pine Prairie, Oberlin, Bunkie and then Heritage Manor in Ville Platte.
“It is really enjoyable and I enjoy playing for the residents,” Swinnea said. “It was very disappointing when I heard that the piano couldn’t be moved. Heritage Manor was one of the best homes that I went to. I will be tickled the day I can return and play for them again.”
For Dupelchin, she believes it is only a matter of time before the sounds of piano keys will once again fill the halls of Heritage Manor due to the efforts of Soileau and other kind-hearted members of the community.
“We would be very appreciative of that donation,” Duplechin said. “We have a very giving community and strong support here for our elderly. We don’t doubt for a minute that we will have a piano again.”
For anyone that is interested in donating a piano to Heritage Manor Nursing Home. Please call (337) 363-5532 and ask for the Activities Director or leave your name and number for someone to call you back.