Hospice Music Therapy
Music Brings Peaceat the End of Life
Read on to see how the Blessing Foundation gives hospice patients a meaningful gift
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Danette Molidor and other patients receiving hospice care need some joy in their lives and a sense of peace.
Music therapy has the amazing power to heal, uplift, and comfort them when they need it most.
When doctors recommended hospice care for Danette Molidor, she felt a sense of relief.
“I was tired of the pain. I was ready to be done,” said Danette, 50, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012 and has endured countless surgeries, radiation, chemotherapy, and other treatments. Her focus now is on comfort, with care provided by Blessing Hospice and Palliative Care.
While devastating to know that she is at the end of life’s journey, her faith in God and the love of her family give her strength.
She’s also found peace and joy in music.
"Music is a lifelong gift that God has given us," she said.
“It starts with parents singing lullabies to their children and can end with music therapy in hospice.”
Music therapy is offered to Blessing Hospice patients thanks to the generosity of the Blessing Foundation. Blessing uses the Hospice Music Therapy Fund, started in 2015, to pay for the services of Linda Tobias, a board certified music therapist who operates All Seasons Music Therapy.
“Music is so powerful,” Linda says.
“It’s healing. It’s uplifting.”
Every music therapy session is tailored to the individual. “The overall objective,” she says, “is to enhance quality of life, validate one’s life accomplishments, and bring them to a level of peace as they depart their earthly life.”
Sessions offer
‘spiritual fulfillment and joy’
Danette always looked forward to her weekly sessions with Linda, which have been interrupted because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“When you’re on hospice and you’re not doing a whole lot, music therapy helps to brighten the week,” Danette says. “I love music and I love singing. My voice has taken a turn for the worse with the chemo and everything, but I feel like I get spiritual fulfillment and fellowship with another singer. It just brings some joy.”
Music has always been a part of Danette’s life. She’s sung in church choirs, and more recently participated in musical theater, playing the role of Irene Molloy in Quincy Community Theatre’s production of “Hello, Dolly!” in the summer of 2017.
Danette, who lives in Quincy with her husband, Jim, also has passed on her love of music to their three children: Margot, 20, Mitchell, 18, and Audrey, 15.
The family has participated in a couple of her music therapy sessions. But mostly, it’s just Danette and Linda singing together, talking, and laughing. Each session features a different theme, such as Broadway, Disney, country music, or hymns.
Perhaps one of the most powerful moments was when Danette’s nephew sat in on a session and recorded her singing lullabies. The recording of her comforting voice is something that her family will forever treasure.
More than sing-a-longs
Linda stresses that hospice patients don’t need any formal experience with music to benefit from the sessions. “Not everybody is musical, but everybody listens to music,” she said. “My mantra: Music is what feelings sound like.”
And there’s more to it than just sing-a-longs. Music therapists use their observation and listening skills to add to the therapeutic experience.
For patients with dementia, music can be used to help calm them and redirect their behavior if they get agitated. It can also trigger memories of happy times – and “you get to see the light in their eyes,” Linda says.
For some who are having difficulty expressing their feelings about the end of life, Linda does what she calls “grief work – giving them an opportunity to verbalize and share what they’re feeling, their anticipated loss, letting them identify it.”
She sometimes uses lyric analysis to help them. For example, one patient she worked with had just lost her significant other when she was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
“With her, we did a fill in the blank. I pulled up a song by the Dixie Chicks, ‘Without You.’ I typed up a sheet for her to fill in the blanks, so she could put into words how she was feeling. I would then play the song on my guitar and sing it with her new words. It’s almost like a pressure valve had been released.”
For some, the benefit of music therapy is simply a source of relaxation and comfort.
“Every person is different,” Linda says. “I don’t have a cookie-cutter approach.”
Leaving a legacy
In addition to her guitar and extensive music library, Linda travels with a variety of rhythmic instruments.
She also can work with families to make a legacy CD, a collection of songs that are meaningful for the patient and that will be passed on to children and grandchildren.
Music therapy doesn’t work for every patient. But for those who are good candidates, it can be a powerful addition to their hospice care.
Linda says she benefits, too.
“I always try to include some humor in my visits, not only for my clients but it helps me to hear them laugh,” Linda says. “At times, I have driven home after a session knowing that it may have been our last session. But I am humbled when the music therapy I provide is accepted and appreciated. I am blessed that I have the opportunity to do it.”
Donors can make a difference
Without grants from the Blessing Foundation, Blessing Hospice and Palliative Care wouldn’t have funding to provide music therapy for patients and provide other services, such as transportation grants that ensure that family members can be with their loved one at the end of life.
“The Foundation is a huge asset to Blessing Hospice as a whole,” said Molly Schulte, RN, BSN, Blessing Hospice and Palliative Care.
“We couldn’t be who we are without them,” she said. “The support allows us to provide families a more memorable time with their loved ones. Hospice isn’t always about dying. It’s about living and making the most of whatever time they have left.”
You have the power to help patients at the end of life and the people who love them, like Danette and her family.
“If you want to donate to something that’s going to bring joy to someone at the end of their life, music therapy is it,” Danette said.
Please consider a donation to the Blessing Foundation today.
What is the Blessing Foundation?
Since 1983, the Blessing Foundation has been giving back to the community that has given so much to all of us. The charitable foundation distribute grants, scholarships and financial assistance to individuals and families to help them on their healthcare journeys.
For more information about the Blessing Foundation or to discuss a donation or gift, call (217) 223-8400, ext. 4800, or email us at BlessingFoundation@blessinghealth.org
