I have not doubted that I am on the right path. I have not doubted that I have been called to do this. I have not doubted the information and the heat-felt stories that have been shared in all the books I have read on the subject of Therapeutic Harp. However!!!!! it is a wonderful thing when the work you do is validated by an inspiring event such as yesterday.
I have been working extra hard on organizing my Therapeutic Music. That's important because what you play matters as much as how you present it to the Patient. So, as the weeks have gone on, I have separated my Music into categories. Judging from my experience so far, these are the situations I will be playing in "Palliative Care (end of life care)" "General Music (Hospital Lobby or any other public setting)" "Dementia and Alzheimer's (specifically from their Genre for memory recall)" "Chemo Infusion Center (similar to General Music, but not quite)" "Children's Music (for the Ped. Ward and NIC Unit)" "Post and Pre-Op (Non-rhythmic as well as Pulse)" Private Clients (various needs depending on the client)"
I am happy to say that my Organization paid off yesterday with an hour of seamless Music (well, except for the couple times I screwed up) in the Dementia and Alzheimer's Folder. I always learn from my experiences and I try to keep notes to remind myself to correct the ones that I have control over. So yesterday I felt like there were 2 things I didn't do well. The first was to position myself so I had a good view of Louise...without interrupting my Music. The second was I failed to take the time to focus on myself first, before I started to play. I needed to play quiet notes, focusing on each tone and taking deep, relaxed breaths. Hopefully, now that I have written it down and said it out loud, I will remember.
So, my Patient has a rare form of Alzheimer's Disease called "Benson's Syndrome". She is blind and requires complete care. She just recently started to communicate, after our first 1 hr. Session of Live Therapeutic Harp Music. Yesterday was the second session. Again, this was 1 hour of Pulse Rhythm and the Music was mostly Familiar to help with Memory Recall, but there were a few Non-Familiar, lovely flowing pieces thrown in.
When I got there my Patient was in the Day Room with about 6 other Residents. She was in front of the TV so she could hear, as she is Blind. She was VERY agitated. She was not comfortable in her Wheelchair and she was fidgeting with her leg and shorts. Her skin was cool and she was moving her head around. I went to her and held her hand and told her who I was and asked if she remembered me coming to play my Harp for her. She stopped moving and moved her lips. She seemed to calm a little, but I was happy when her Daughter arrived and soon after that her part-time Companion also arrived. So we got her all settled in her room, covered her with a blanket and I got started.
I also want to mention my Patient has a roommate with advanced Cancer, who was sleeping when we started. When the roommate heard the Harp, she opened her eyes and I said "Good Morning, would you like to hear some Harp Music?" she smiled and closed her eyes.
About 20 minutes into playing, not only did my Patient settle down, but the Companion was just about asleep on the bed, lol Clearly, my Patient loved all the pampering from her Daughter, brushing her hair, talking softly to her and making sure she was comfortable. She moved her feet slightly, back and forth to the Music. Her head was back and her eyes were closed, but she was by NO means asleep. She smiled a couple times and it was clear when she really loved a piece of music. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is one of her favorites! It's hard to stop playing, you just want continue for as long as your fingers hold up, but I am trying to set a 1 hr limit for myself as well as the Patient. It would be easy to over stimulate.
During the Session, my Patient's roommate had a severe episode of coughing but I think the Music helped settle her down again. Before I left I stopped to say goodbye to her and she smiled and asked if I would come back ...she said "I love the Music". My Patient smiled when I told her I would be back to play for her.
Below is the Email that my Patient's Daughter sent to me late last night....For anyone that needs validation that Live Therapeutic Harp Music has a profound effect on us all....the Patient, the Caretaker, the Family and the Musician, this email should cover that. Also below the Daughter's email is part of an email I received this morning from her Companion....Amazing and Inspiring
Hi Jackie,
Once Mom was situated in her chair comfortably (sorry for the kerfluffle while you were starting to play) she relaxed and began to listen to the music. It was not long before her feet started to move. She moves her feet when she listens to music that she likes and when she is happy. Today I believe it was both. I noticed that Mom was more animated in her reaction to the music, yet relaxed enough to doze off now and then. Both Mom and her roommate seemed to be very relaxed and receptive to the music today. The energy in the room was very positive and I felt like we were all floating along on the music together.
After the session, when I was leaving for the day, I told Mom I would be back soon. She said "okay". Mom has not uttered a word to anyone in the past week. She has not even acknowledged anyone in any way for the past week. Not even an eyebrow raise. I told her that I loved her and she said "I love you too". I did not think I would hear those words again because in the past week Mom seemed to have moved to a new level with her disease.
I was walking to my car and decided to go back and say goodbye to Mom again. I wanted to see if she would tell me she loved me again. I never know when it will be the last time I hear those words forever from her. I went back and kissed her again and told her I loved her and told her what a wonderful mom she is and always has been. I said goodbye again and walked a few feet toward the front door when I heard her say "Therese". She said my name! She knew who I was! I have not heard her say my name for a very, very long time. In fact, I did not think I would ever hear her say it again.
Thank you Jackie
From the Companion
Your Patient really did enjoy you music yesterday. She was trying to tell me something yesterday after you left. It's the most she has spoken to me. She usually says yes and no. But, she actually said a sentence. I will figure out soon how to understand her. God will help me figure it out.
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