89-year-old volunteer has spent decades playing the ukulele for hospital patients


Every Wednesday, his ukulele in tow, 89-year-old Tom Ruggles arrives at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Massachusetts, ready to entertain the patients and staff.
When he retired in 1999, Ruggles came up with the idea to volunteer at the hospital. "We gave it a try and I performed for a patient and it worked out," he told InsideEdition.com. "The head of the volunteers said, 'You're on.'" He goes from ward to ward, singing and playing the ukulele, and makes sure he knows the name of every patient he meets. "A lot of people say to me, 'Hey, you just made my day,'" he said. "Not everyone gets a song while they are in the hospital."
The former traveling salesman has no plans to slow down. "The only way I'd stop is if I couldn't walk anymore," he said. Catherine Garcia
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.