Bagpipe Music in Hazel Park a Surprise for Dad in Senior Living Center Lockdown
(Crystal A. Proxmire, March 27, 2020)
Hazel Park, MI- The sound of bagpipes drew Bill Hudson to the balcony of his American House apartment in Hazel Park Friday, in what turned out to be a grand surprise from his son.
Dave Hudson, who owns Hudson Industrial Furnishings in Ferndale, knew that his dad loved bagpipe music and had been getting restless lock-down in the senior living community.
Residents are staying in their apartments without having any visitors due to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
So Hudson and musician Donald Ross surprised the man, and his neighbors, with a little concert – from a safe distance away.
“Dad lives alone in Melvindale,” Hudson told Oakland County Times. “He’s always been pretty independent. But about six months ago he had a detached retina so he was pretty much stuck at home because he couldn’t drive.
“I drove down river almost every day from Ferndale to take care of him, make food, run errands, pay bills, clean house, take care of the dog, etc. Being stuck in his house lead to further issues and he ended up being hospitalized for three weeks. He ended up getting transferred to a nursing home, but then I had him transferred to American House so he would be comfortable.
“It was all supposed to be temporary until the pandemic happened and now he’s on lockdown with no idea when he will be going back home. So as you can imagine he’s very lonely and depressed because I can’t come and visit him and he can’t leave.
“I bring supplies every few days, but with the high infection rates it’s risky even with gloves and a mask and disinfecting all of the items that I bring him. Dad has always loved the bagpipes and all things history and military so I knew he would really enjoy it.”
The music brought people together online as people popped into Facebook groups to ask what the noise was. Others commented about having loved ones in the same apartment complex who got to enjoy the performance.