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| Pictured is Ashlee Carder |
“I have learned so much since I have been with State of the Heart Hospice,” she said. Her college education focused on improving her musical abilities, attending classes on various aspects of psychology, including communication disorders, as she learned more about human relations and the importance of communication. Her education, she explained, prepared her for her experience at the nonprofit agency which has offices in Greenville, Coldwater and Portland.
“I have learned that I have to expect surprises and that I have to meet the patient where they are at that particular time,” she said. State of the Heart cares for patients and families in eastern Indiana and western Ohio who are confronting a life limiting illness. The team of caregivers, which includes music therapists, addresses the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual needs of the patient.
“I have always wanted to help people,” she said. Being able to mix her talent and education with the realization she is helping people, is “rewarding,” she added. She hopes to work for a hospice program after she graduates next spring.
Amy Pearson is one of two board certified music therapists with State of the Heart. The other music therapist is Brittany Scheer. The two oversee the interns who join the program for a six month internship. “Ashlee is a motivated learner and has thrived in the hospice internship setting,” said Pearson. “Her music talents and caring nature have benefited many patients throughout our service agency.”
Music therapy emerged in hospice care in the early to mid 1990’s and has become increasingly popular. Through the use of music therapy, a patient can realize improved quality of life, an easing of depression and the “opening of channels” for conversation. Advocates of music therapy stress that music therapy can be a “pain masking agent” by offering a distraction for the patient and it helps relax patients who are experiencing breathing problems. Several years ago, State of the Heart applied with the American Music Therapy Association for approval for the internship program. Out of approximately 145 hospices in Ohio, State of the Heart is one of three offering a music therapy internship. It is the only hospice out of about 100 in Indiana to offer the program. The internship is required in order for the student to finish the Bachelor’s Degree in Music Therapy program.
Carder recalls a day when she visited a patient who had dementia. “I asked her if she recalled the words from the song ‘Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue, Has Anybody Seen My Gal,’ and she said she did not. Then, when I sang the song, I would come to a place where I needed a word and she would chime in with the right word. That day and that moment was an instance where her quality of life was improved.” The experience, Carder said, was gratifying.
“It is interesting how people respond to music, she added. “Music is non-threatening and both sides of the brain are engaged in music,” she explained. “Music lights up every part of the brain.”
She also was part of the State of the Heart grief support team that recently went to an Indiana school to offer support after a student had died suddenly. In that instance, she added, listening skills came in handy as she and other members of the team listened to what the students were saying about their deceased school friend. “After we listened to them, we put their comments and thoughts into a song which we shared with them.
“I have learned so much in such a short amount of time,” Carder said. “It has been great to apply what I have learned in college.”
For more information about any of the services provided by State of the Heart visit the agency web site at www.stateoftheheartcare.org.