Music At The End Of Life
It is wonderful that we are rediscovering the power of music at the end of life.
Hospitals are not the most relaxing places for people nearing the end of life. The intensive-care units, lobbies and hospital wards are full of glaring bright lights and institutional noises.
In this stressful environment, music can be the great equalizer. The soothing sounds can bring peace and calmness. Music can help defuse the tension felt by anxious patients and their families. Today, in many of the San Francisco Bay Area’s major medical centers, musicians are playing in hospital lobbies and at the bedside.
“One of the hottest topics is music and the brain,” says Judith-Kate Friedman, a professional songwriter who works with seniors. “Music lights up the brain more than almost any other human activity.”
Music at the end of life is an ancient tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages, when 11th century Benedictine monks used music as part of their deathbed vigils.
Those practices fell out of favor as monasteries disappeared with the coming of the Reformation and the Industrial Age.
But today, music at the end of life is making a comeback. Many Bay Area medical professionals now recognize the benefits of live music played at the bedside. And in some of the area’s leading hospices now have volunteer musicians playing music for their patients.
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