Music Therapy for Hospice Nursing Home Residents
In an ex post facto analysis of data, Hilliard (43) evaluated the use of music therapy for residents in nursing homes receiving hospice care. Following their deaths, 80 patients' medical records were reviewed. Using the Hospice Management Systems–Plus software, records were selected randomly for patients who had been referred to music therapy (n = 40) and patients who had not (n = 40). Length of life was compared between groups, and there was a significant difference (increased length of life) for those who received music therapy. The number and length of sessions provided, by hospice discipline, was analyzed. Statistical analyses indicated that music therapists provided significantly more direct sessions to patients than did social workers, and they spent significantly longer (by minutes) in sessions than did nurses or social workers. Care plan needs were analyzed graphically, and the data indicate that music therapists were the only hospice professionals consistently treating the emotional, spiritual, cognitive, social and physical needs of the patients. Nurses primarily treated only the physical needs, whereas social workers primarily treated the case management needs. Although the study has limitations (lack of randomization, ex post facto design), these data document the fact that music therapists meet important needs of residents in nursing homes receiving hospice care that may otherwise be unmet.