Joe Acosta

This is Joe Acosta, a volunteer musician who comes to our IRC dining room  once a month to provide music during lunch. Pictured with him is Michelle J, our Recreational Therapist.  Michelle recruited Joe and she facilitates his appearances on the unit.

Joe performed as a professional musician for many years, playing with some of the jazz greats in California. He was a self-taught percussionist. He learned music by doing, and as his talent shown through early in his career the musicians he played with mentored him. He said that music opened many doors for him, and it was a honor that after a 4 hour show, he’d often be asked to stay on and jam privately with the big names. Joe retired in 1985 when the competition became so intense that it was no longer fun to play. He eventually migrated here to the Rogue Valley, where he found it necessary to place his wife in a dementia care facility. Soon after that, he ended up as a patient in RVMC after a stroke and a heart attack. “I realized then that I had no control over my life.” After his recovery he--at the suggestion of his daughter--returned to music. This time the music is not to perform, but to share a bit of himself with the patients, and point out that life is worth living. During his hour of playing, he played completely from memory. It was not lost on our patients that, as one family member pointed out, “you can do that even after having a stroke!”

Looking around the room, I saw joy and tears, and Joe had everyone’s attention. He told me that he had served as a pastor for 25 years and that he believes that you should not preach the gospel, you should live it. Joe does, indeed, do that.

He often shared stories along with the music. He introduced Nat King Cole’s Unforgettable as the last song he heard before shipping out from San Francisco to the Korean War. At one point, he stopped and asked for questions; a great ice-breaker with his audience of patients and family members. He told them near the end that working in this way is a joy to him personally. “I will not see most of you ever again. I believe that in this hour we have together, I need to give you something, to share, and to let you know there is hope.”

Mission accomplished, Joe!  Well done!