Music Therapy for End of Life Care

Music therapy for end-of-life care involves playing music on a variety of instruments, singing, listening to music, and performing music based on the patient’s preferences. The goal is to enhance the person’s quality of life by relieving or easing a variety of symptoms present during this time, addressing psychological needs unique to dying patients, offering support to, and facilitating communication between, both the family and the patient, and meeting some of the spiritual needs of the patient.

Upon completion of the course, you will be able to do the following:

• Describe the goals of music therapy for end-of-life care.
• Discuss music therapy interventions in end-of-life care.
• Explain music therapy levels of practice in end-of-life care.
• Describe the relationship between music therapy and the spiritual aspects of end-of-life care.
• Differentiate between various cultural issues relative to end-of-life care.

The primary goal of end-of-life care is to promote patients’ quality of life by alleviating physiological, psychological, social, and spiritual distress, while improving peace of mind and providing comfort (Hilliard, 2005). This is accomplished by relieving or easing a variety of symptoms present during this time, addressing psychological needs unique to dying patients, offering support to, and facilitating communication between, both the family and the patient, providing support for coping with grief, and meeting some of the spiritual needs of the patient.

In an effort to provide holistic and comprehensive care to relieve suffering for patients at the end of life, alternative models of care, such as music therapy, have developed in many countries. Research has shown that the most popular forms of complementary therapies used in hospices are massage therapy and music therapy. As a result, music therapy is now an integral part of most hospice and palliative care programs in both the United States and many other countries (Clements-Cortes, 2016; Gutgsell, 2016; Heath & Lings, 2016; Hilliard, 2005; Pavlov et al., 2017).

Music therapy in end of life care involves playing music on a variety of instruments, singing, listening to music, and performing music based on the patient’s preferences to enhance a person’s quality of life by helping relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression, addressing psychological needs, offering support, facilitating communication, and meeting spiritual needs. Trained and board-certified music therapists provide this care.

Music therapy positively affects end-of-life care. The needs of patients often treated by music therapists include the following overall categories (Clements-Cortes, 2016; Gutgsell, 2016; Heath & Lings, 2016; Hilliard, 2005; Pavlov et al., 2017):

• Social (e.g., isolation, loneliness, boredom)
• Cognitive (e.g., neurological impairments, disorientation, confusion)
• Physical (e.g., pain, shortness of breath, fatigue)
• Spiritual (e.g., spiritual or religious connection)

Virtually any health condition (such as chronic progressive illnesses, cancer, AIDS, sickle cell disease, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cirrhosis, end-stage renal disease, dementia and other neurodegenerative disorders) may benefit from the use of music in a therapeutic milieu. Music therapists can provide care for patients at the end of life in many types of care environments, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, home care, and hospices (Dileo & Loewy, 2005; Gallagher, Lagman, & Rybicki, 2017).

Music therapy holds a special place for individuals and their families in the process of preparing for death. It provides a way for people who are dying to express what they are feeling through the ability to choose music to hear, sing, or perform. Families who participate together in music therapy find they are often able to transform this difficult time into an experience of creative expression with their loved one (Hanser, 1999).