Great-grandma with dementia remembers lullaby after holding her newest great-grandson

Dementia affects a person's social and personal life in an adverse manner. They begin to forget their past life and their loved ones. However, the dear ones still get to have a glimpse of the old person during some special moments. And that's what happened with 89-year-old Elinor Hanson when she met her great-grandson for the first time. In a video posted on Instagram by Hanson's daughter Connie, Hanson can be seen singing, A Bushel and a Peck while holding her great-grandson in her arms. She starts by saying, "Okay. It goes like this. Now, you are listening," and then sings, "I love you, A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck. A hug around the neck and a barrel and a heap. A barrel and a heap and I’m talkin’ in my sleep. About you, about you.‘Cause I love you.'” She becomes emotional while singing the lullaby and says, "I'm going to cry but continues singing. The video ends with Hanson looking teary-eyed.

Connie told TODAY that the moment just before she starts singing took her back to the time before she had dementia. She said, "It’s when she says, ‘ok it goes like this, now you’re listening?’ that’s my mom that I remember." She then spoke about how involved Hanson was in her children's and grandchildren's lives. Moreover, she was a "musical lady" who used to sing in choirs and at weddings. Connie said, “She was like the cookie-baking kind of grandma.” 

Hanson has had dementia for years but according to Connie things became worse once her father and Hanson's primary caretaker died in 2020. She moved from Georgia to Utah to take care of her mother where she has lived for 48 years. Coleman said, “I didn’t want her to move, it’s what she knows."

Hanson has one more great-grandchild on the way and Connie is sure that she will be singing to them as well. And if the babies don't remember their great-grandmother singing to them, Connie said that they will have videos to look back on and a sweet message from Connie, "She just loved you all so much." 

Connie captioned the video, "Great-grandma meeting and holding her newest great-grandson and singing a song she sang to all the grandkids. A song my kids know very well. I love you a bushel and a peck. This night made her so happy. It’s amazing how the brain can lose so much but the music somehow stays. Music really is amazing for healing and memory." 

Many on Instagram found the video heart-warming. @lindakayok commented, "My mom used to sing this to me as well. She has dementia. I’ll have to see if her brain remembers this as well. 🤗" @paul82209 commented, "Such a precious memory. Beautiful. My grandmother was very special to me." @uthiekiddlepatch commented, "The sweetest video ever. Both my dad and my brother suffered from Dementia. It is such a cruel disease. I’m so glad this family will have this video to remember this sweet lady for years to come." @yayann16 wrote, "This just warms my heart, it’s evident, she is a beautiful grandma inside and out.❤️ This brings back so many loving memories. My mom would sing A Bushel and a Peck to our son when he was a baby." @precious_boo66 commented, "Such a beautiful moment, Thank you for sharing your precious moment with all of us!! Definitely, one to cherish always!! Congratulations as well. 👣💙🫶"