Music Speaks PROVIDENCE HOSPICE
EMBRACES MUSIC & MEMORY PROGRAM
At first, it’s almost imperceptible, but then the finger tapping gets stronger, more regular, and right in time with the music. Now the left foot joins in, and a smile spreads across one hospice patient’s face as she listens to a Jerry Lee Lewis song from her youth. This patient has lost the use of the left side of her body and is now bedbound, but after a few minutes, she begins telling stories about the musicals she loved going to with her grandchildren in Chicago. As the memories flow, so does the palpable joy.
This kind of joy is precisely why music is such a special part of what our hospice program offers to patients. Funded by a grant from the Elea Institute, Providence Hospice volunteers and staff are trained by the Music & Memory organization, whose
goal for patients is to “engage with the world, ease pain, and reclaim their humanity through the use of personalized music.” So far, about 30 Providence Hospice patients throughout Indiana and Illinois have been a part of this program.
This hospice patient, who was a pianist and organist, is enjoying music on headphones provided by Providence.
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