“Just shortly before school, I decided that Music Therapy would be that chosen field,” she explained. In December, the Carmel, Indiana native will receive her diploma, a Bachelors Degree in Music Therapy. But first, she is in the middle of a six month internship with State of the Heart Hospice. Her experience, she stated, is both gratifying and challenging at times.
“It is rewarding to realize that as a music therapist, you can provide comfort, and something positive at life’s end,” she said. State of the Heart, a nonprofit agency that provides care to patients in eastern Indiana and western Ohio who are confronting a life limiting illness, has offered the internship for several years now.
Music therapy emerged in hospice care in the early to mid 1990’s and has become increasingly popular in the hospice world. 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. It is not unusual for a patient with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease to suddenly recall songs from days gone by and sing along with the music therapist. Music therapy can also be a “pain masking agent” by offering distraction for the patient, and it helps relax patients who are experiencing breathing problems.
Welch recalled an early experience in her hospice internship when she and one of the music therapists (the agency has two board certified music therapists), were sitting with a patient playing music and singing hymns. “I noticed a calming effect the music had on the patient,” she added. They played for about two hours before the patient passed away. “For me it was the realization of how we fit into the bigger picture of hospice care,” she said. “We were able to bring peace and tranquility to her.”
Amy Pearson, one of the agency’s two music therapists, supervises Welch and has worked closely with her during the internship. “Becky has been an eager learner and is dedicated to providing quality music experiences for our hospice patients and families, stated Pearson who has been with State of the Heart for over seven years. “ Additionally, she attended Camp Bearable this summer and was an effective leader for music therapy groups. She has shown tremendous growth in just three months and I’m excited to see her continue to flourish for the remainder of her internship!”
Welch said part of the challenge in providing music therapy services is that there are such differences in family and patient needs. “We work on so many different levels,” she explained.
She said she views music therapy as a “bridge” between addressing the physical needs of the patient, by relieving pain and symptoms, easing breathing and having a calming effect, and the addressing of the psychological needs of both patient and family. “It is interesting how we work as a team to do all that we can to reach and support the needs of the patient and their family,” she said.
She is not sure of the career ahead of her. Working at State of the Heart has “certainly opened up the idea of working in hospice after my experience at State of the Heart,” she said.
For more information about any of the services provided by State of the Heart, visit the agency web site at www.stateoftheheart.org.