At assisted living facilities such as The Residence at Stafford in Manahawkin, one of the weekly highlights is when visiting musicians drop by to entertain. At least, that’s how it was before the pandemic, which has put such activities on hold.

But at The Residence, the music plays on thanks to Thomas Norato, who has resided there for two years and regularly plays the piano for sing-alongs. And at 92, he still demonstrates remarkable dexterity with the ivories.

“Before he became a resident here, Tom would be one of our visiting entertainers,” said Farryn M.