In the final season of life, people need to feel comforted, heard, and at peace, and that is where music therapy in hospice and palliative care can help. Rather than focusing on curing an illness, it supports comfort, meaning, and connection for individuals and their families during this time.
The Role of Music Therapy in Hospice and Palliative Settings
Hospice and palliative care music therapy is delivered by board-certified music therapists, some of whom hold additional training such as the Hospice and Palliative Care Music Therapy (HPMT) credential. It is a clinical service that can address physical comfort, emotional processing, meaning-making, and connection between a patient and their family.
The American Music Therapy Association recognizes music therapy as a valuable part of hospice care, and research has looked at its role in supporting pain perception, anxiety, quality of life, and family experience in palliative and hospice settings.
Physical, Emotional, and Personal Dimensions
Pain and anxiety. Music can engage systems in the brain related to pain and stress response. Live individualized music, provided thoughtfully for tempo, timbre, and a person’s personal preferences, supports comfort and reduces anxiety in palliative care settings. Music therapy techniques have been shown to effectively decrease the perception of pain, making it a helpful non-pharmacological option for addressing breakthrough pain for end-of-life patients.
Legacy projects and life review. One meaningful offering a music therapist can provide near end of life is help creating a musical legacy. This might include recording a loved one singing or speaking over familiar music, working together on original song lyrics based on their life story, creating a personalized collection of meaningful songs and the stories behind them, or supporting a song-based life review that can be shared with family.
Supporting families and caregivers. Caregiver grief, the anticipatory sorrow of watching someone move toward death, is a real and often exhausting form of suffering that doesn’t always get discussed. Music therapy sessions can include family members, gathering around a loved one to sing familiar songs together, finding moments of connection amid the grief, and beginning the process of meaning-making that continues into bereavement.
Key Takeaways
- Hospice and palliative care music therapy can address physical comfort, emotional processing, meaning-making, and family connection.
- Research has explored music therapy’s role in supporting comfort and reducing anxiety in palliative care.
- Legacy projects, including songwriting, recording, and life review, can offer meaningful experiences and lasting keepsakes for families.
- Music therapy can support not only the individual, but the family system through anticipatory grief and bereavement.
If you would like to learn more about how music therapy might support you or someone you care about during hospice or palliative care, Middleton Music Therapy offers a complimentary phone consultation. You can schedule one at www.middletonmusictherapy.com.