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Welcome to Doorway....
Bev Foster, BEd, BMus, ARCT, AMus, Creator, Room 217
While there is a plethora of medical, clinical, psychosocial and spiritual questions that arise in the process of dying, the question of death as a gross indignity cannot be escaped. The truth is, as we die, we can do little for ourselves and become more dependent on others for our care.
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Music Therapy in Paediatric Care
Ruth Roberts, MMIT, MTA, Music Therapist (Haematology, Oncology, Palliative Care), Hospital For Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Children who are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness are thrown into a world of turbulence where all inner and outer resources are challenged. Cancer, the second leading cause of death in childhood, requires aggressive and extensive treatment. There are many types of cancer, each with its own set of challenges, treatments and outcomes. For several years I have worked as a music therapist on a paediatric oncology ward. It has been my privilege to work directly with children and their families as they negotiate their way through lengthy treatment protocols and frequent hospitalizations. It is important that music therapy serves as a strengthening, life-giving force to assist such children on their paths. In music therapy a place is offered where fears, anxieties, grief and pain may be acknowledged and held. Here a child finds opportunity to create beauty and life in the midst of suffering.
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Dignity Therapy: A Novel Psychotherapeutic Intervention for Patients Near the End of Life
Harvey Max Chochinov, Thomas Hack, Thomas Hassard, Linda J. Kristjanson, Susan McClement, and Mike Harlos
This article has been reprinted in full with the express permission of Harvey Max Chochinov, MD, PhD, CancerCare Manitoba, Canada
Psychosocial and existential issues are being recognized as a major concern of the terminally ill as mounting evidence suggests they may cause even greater distress than pain and physical symptoms. A new psycho-therapeutic intervention called dignity therapy is helping to reduce this suffering and distress by arousing a sense of meaning, purpose and hopefulness in patients living at the end of life.
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CD/DVD Review
Directed by Garry Beitel, Producer, Barry Lazar, Beitel/Lazar Productions Inc. 1999
“On Wings of Song” is a look into the daily work of palliative care music therapist Deborah Salmon. Deborah has worked with the terminally ill at Montreal’s Royal Victoria Hospital since 1984, and in this video she eloquently expresses the potential and privilege for music therapists to work with clients at this stage in their lives. The documentary highlights her work with several clients and demonstrates the effectiveness of various music techniques.
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Caregiving: Our Greatest Gift
Part 1 - Family Caregivers
Margaret Van Dyck, RN, BScN, CHPCN
Giving care to someone, as we walk through life in our different roles as child, parent, sibling, extended family, friend, neighbour, employee/employer, and stranger, is deeply satisfying and rewarding. However, the simple joy of giving to someone else can have layers of complexity that confuse and complicate these relationships at times. So when one becomes a caregiver to a loved one in a palliative situation, the many issues and variables in tackling a seemingly monumental task may prevent us from seeing that caregiving to someone who is dying is really our greatest gift. Henri Nouwen’s helpful book Our Greatest Gift unravels some of the complexity of this emotionally overwhelming task. It can all seem like an unexpected and unfamiliar roller coaster ride, but hang on to the foundation that this is indeed your greatest gift to another person.
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Rooms Around the World
Major Cath McFarlane
Profiles hospices, hospitals, long term care facilities and people using or beginning to use music in therapeutic ways. If your organization would like to be featured in Rooms Around the World send us a picture and share a unique aspect of it with our readers. This issue: Winnipeg Grace Hospice, Submitted by Major Cath McFarlane, Director of Spiritual Care
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Music Note
New World Symphony - Antonin Dvorak 1841 – 1904 (Spirit Wings)
Music Note tells the story behind the songs of Room217. This issue: New World Symphony - from Spirit Wings
Born and raised a Bohemian peasant, Dvorak’s symphony had much in common with his beloved Bohemian folk tunes. He was interested in the Native American music and African-American spirituals he heard in America and both of these influenced this work.
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Coming Home
Derrick's Song
Other Stories
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Click here to order Spirit Wings, Gentle Waters, and Celtic Whisperings online. Hugs & Kisses will be available in November, 2006!
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About Quality of Life Matters?
Quality of Life Matters is a periodical dedicated solely to end-of-life care news and clinical findings. In its eighth year of publication, a Canadian edition is now available. www.QoLpublishing.com
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About Grief Journey?
Grief Journey, founded by Dr. Bill Webster, is an internationally acclaimed resource offering helpful choices to grieving people, their families and friends. Check it out! www.griefjourney.com
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The much anticipated CD musical resource for children, their families and caregivers will be available November 15th, 2006 at www.room217.ca
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Songs are our connections to life. They connect us to our inner world; they bring us closer to others; they keep us company when we are alone. They articulate our beliefs and reaffirm our values. They arouse, they accompany and they release. And as the years pass, our songs bear witness to our lives and give voice to our experiences. They rekindle the past, reflect the present and project the future. Songs weave tales of our joys and sorrow; they express our dreams and disappointments, our fears and triumphs. They are our musical diaries, our life stories. They are the sounds of our development. (Bruscia, 1989)
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