Spirits lifted at North Bay Hospice thanks to local musicians
While most people are down to their last few days and weeks while staying at the hospice in North Bay, officials with Nipissing Serenity Hospice told CTV News live music lifts the spirits of many residents.
"For us the hospice is a place for people to come out and live there last days and for many people that means music and music means comfort," said Gil Pharand., the hospice’s executive director.
"When people can they sit around and enjoy it and it really is a great part of the hospice environment."
On Friday, local musician Gary Davison played for hospice residents.
While local bars and weddings are more of the atmosphere he's used to, he said playing at the hospice is special.
"Some of them walking around, with smiles on there faces and for some it's different," he said.
"But, when I look over and someone is asleep and I can see their finger tapping you know you're getting through, music is the universal language and it's everywhere."
Davison said it is also a time to make connections with patients and their families.
"It was about the second time I played here, a lady came to me gave me a big hug with a tear in her eye and said to me that's the first time I've seen my mom smile in a month and I had the same tears."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | U.S. President Joe Biden touches down in Ottawa
U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Ottawa Thursday evening for a whirlwind 27-hour visit expected to focus on both the friendly and thorny aspects of the Canada-U.S. relationship, including protectionism and migration on both sides of the border.

Trudeau, Biden could agree to end 'loophole' in Safe Third Country Agreement: CP source
Canada and the United States are negotiating a deal that could see asylum seekers turned back at irregular border crossings across the border, including Roxham Road in Quebec.
Opposition parties affirm call for interference inquiry, amid questions over MP Han Dong
Amid renewed questions over the pervasiveness of alleged interference by China in Canadian elections and affairs broadly, opposition MPs voted Thursday afternoon to affirm a parliamentary committee's call for the federal government to strike a public inquiry.
'Scream as loud as you can': 5 boys rescued from NYC tunnel
Five mischievous boys had to be rescued after they crawled through a storm drain tunnel in New York City and got lost, authorities said.
Asteroid to hurtle past Earth closer than the moon this weekend
An asteroid discovered just last week will pass closer to the Earth than the orbit of the moon this weekend, an occurrence so rare it happens only once in a decade, according to NASA.
Number of Canadians receiving EI at record lows, down 44 per cent from last year: StatCan
The number of Canadians receiving employment insurance benefits are at record lows and down 44 per cent from last year, new figures from Statistics Canada show.
Indigenous sisters developing video games to revitalize Mohawk language
Two Kanien'keha:ka (Mohawk) sisters from Montreal are on a mission that is close to their hearts: to save their ancestors' first language by developing video games young and old can play.
Here are the locations of the first 12 new Zellers stores
Zellers has opened the first of 25 new locations within Hudson's Bay stores across the country. The Canadian retail chain launched 12 stores in Ontario and Alberta Thursday, along with a new e-commerce website.
South Carolina's top accountant to resign after US$3.5-billion error
Embattled South Carolina Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom will resign next month after a US$3.5 billion accounting error in the year-end financial report he oversaw.