How is music therapy used in nursing homes and hospice facilities?

In nursing homes and hospice facilities, music therapy serves as a vital clinical discipline that addresses nonmusical goals through interventions such as listening to music, singing, songwriting, and improvisation.1

In these settings, music therapy is used to enhance well-being and quality of life in several ways:

• Dementia Care: For patients with dementia, music therapists use familiar music from a patient's youth to bridge memory loss. This can provide comfort, motivation, and relaxation, helping to manage anxiety or agitation and assisting with activities of daily living like bathing or dressing.1
• Palliative and Transition Support: Sedative music may be employed to help individuals achieve deep relaxation during their transition into hospice care.1
• Stress Reduction: By reducing overall reactivity to daily stressors, music therapy helps residents and patients improve their general state of well-being.1

Music therapists work within a professional relationship, utilizing their training in psychology, biology, and neurology to tailor interventions to the specific needs and preferences of each individual.1