Duet Care at Home: Enriching Lives Through Caregivers in the Arts

Aimee Bayles strums her guitar while the woman she is caring for sits peacefully and happily next to her, visibly connected to the music with a bright smile. Bayles is a caregiver with Duet Home Care, a New York City-based home care provider who has embraced the philosophy that the arts can deeply resonate with the elderly, especially those afflicted with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, music and art can enrich the lives of people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, creating a form of self-expression and opening a door for communication. Music allows for a way to connect, especially when verbal exchange is a challenge or even non-existent. Other forms of art – including visual arts, poetry, acting, and dancing – also encourage conversation, offer stimulation, reduce anxiety and agitation and foster human connection.

“Music is magic,” admits Bayles. “Music brings things to light, sparks memories, helps build relationships. I really try to integrate music whenever I can.” Bayles, a singer-songwriter, is genuinely interested in the way music enhances the quality of life and is grateful for the experience Duet is offering her.  “My job is not only to be present. It’s about creating a bond with my clients,” said Bayles. “Music opens up discussions. It’s an amazing tool that truly brings people together.”

Duet founder Kyle Budinscak knew he didn’t want to be just another home care agency. The clients he would serve needed more than just daily essentials to thrive…they needed companionship, social connections, shared interests and genuine sources of joy and purpose. Caregivers with a background in the arts could bring all that and more…compassion, artistry and inspiration.

“Early on, we decided we wanted to create an in-home care service that didn’t really exist yet,” said Budinscak. “I had become convinced that providing social connection was one of the best things we could do for someone living with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. So we embarked on a mission to identify people from the arts, human services, and certain other fields who we believed could be great caregivers. As a working actor, our co-owner Larisa Polonsky knew of several places where we could recruit these people. One of those was the Actors Fund (now the Entertainment Community Fund) and we quickly struck up a great relationship with their career center.”

“Since 2005, I have worked as an actor and know from personal experience that those in the performing arts often possess a heightened sense of empathy,” said Polonsky. “In a dynamic city like New York, a major cultural and artistic hub. We believed this was a wonderful way to find meaningful work for those passionate about connection and engagement.”

Stefanie Parrott, an actor, model, poet and performer of the spoken word said it is a privilege to work with Duet and interact with their clients.

“I am working with a 93-year-old woman who is declining from Alzheimer’s,” said Parrott. “She is a lover of the arts – design, fashion and fine art. She is a very cultured, well-rounded woman and I share my artistic life with her. Our connection is a common love of the arts.”

Parrott is also into film and recently made a documentary. She says her client volunteers to run through scripts with her and review her creative ideas. They also relish reading the New York Times together, fostering an even greater bond between them.

“We both love to read,” said Parrott. “Especially the New York Times magazine. She is not familiar with modern vernacular, and she says she learns a lot about modern lifestyle from reading with me. Working with her has been an incredible experience for me.”

“The simple fact that we’re hiring all of these people from the arts, graduate programs, education, and human services is an obvious differentiator,” continued Budinscak. “Our intake and support process is also much more geared to making sure that there is a strong interpersonal connection with the caregiver and client.”

Budinscak recognizes that home care does have to be holistic, however, taking into consideration the fundamental needs of seniors.

“Of course, one of the limitations of this model is that our caregivers do not provide hands-on care or care services that you may receive from a home health aide or nurse,” he adds. “To address this need for care, we now manage a separate licensed home care agency, Harmony Home Care. Our goal with Harmony is to provide more advanced personal care services from caregivers who are kind and engaging. We’ve already helped numerous caregivers from Duet go through the state-authorized training programs to provide this type of support for Harmony’s clients.”

The daughter of client “M,” a senior who is a longtime resident of New York City and Bridgehampton and who would like to remain anonymous, says her father has had a lifelong interest in the arts and photography, and Duet has provided him with a level of care that has been a unique and special gift.

“I knew Duet was a very different company,” she said. “My dad suffers from severe dementia. The aides read to him, take walks and share their love of the arts. They are in a class all their own. This company saved my life. Saved my dad’s life. It’s so hard to find the right words…it’s been very meaningful.”

For more information about Duet Care at Home, visit their website at duetcare.com.

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