These pages provide access to resources and literature relevant to the practice of palliative care for music therapists. All Australian music therapists are registered with the Australian Association of Music Therapy Inc. and are known as Registered Music Therapists (RMT).

Music therapy is the creative and professionally informed use of music in a therapeutic relationship with people identified as needing physical, psychosocial, or spiritual help, or with people aspiring to experience further self-awareness, enabling increased life satisfaction. The music therapist offers patients, and occasionally their visitors and carers, opportunities to creatively experience a wide range of live and Pre-recorded musical activities or ‘methods’. Music therapists focus on the therapeutic process rather than the musical products of sessions. The musical elements (melody, harmony, rhythm, tempo, instrumentation, and volume) and evolving therapeutic relationship provide the foundation for altered thoughts, or affective, physiological, or transcendental sensations congruent with improved psychosocial adjustment and symptom alleviation. [1]

Role in palliative care

This information will help you to find out more about working in palliative care. It may include narratives from those working in the area, descriptions of the role, or why the position is important.

• Hartley NA. On a personal note: a music therapist's reflections on working with those who are living with a terminal illness. J Palliat Care. 2001 Autumn;17(3):135-41.
• A transcript from ‘The World Today’, a radio program broadcast around Australia (ABC Local Radio.) features an interview with a music therapist who works with the terminally ill.

Palliative care education and training

There are different ways to develop your knowledge and skills in palliative care. Web based learning modules, short courses and specialist palliative care courses and training are offered in many organisations and universities. Further information can be found on the Education pages of CareSearch.

The Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA) provides an opportunity for health, aged and community care professionals (including allied health professionals) working in primary care or non-specialist palliative care settings to improve confidence and develop skills in working with people with palliative care needs. PEPA offers workforce placements of up to five days in specialist palliative care services and tailored workshops in the palliative approach. There is no fee for placements. Participation meets continuing professional development requirements for AHPRA. The program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

Research

Many health professionals may be interested in looking at palliative care research questions in their area of speciality. This may be work that is planned for the future. Any palliative care professional, regardless of discipline, is able to access the CareSearch Research Data Management System (RDMS), a tool developed to support research in palliative care

Resources

• Australian Music Therapy Association (Also has an archive list of literature relevant to palliative care, and a palliative care Special Interest Group)
• Palliative Care Career Pathways for Music Therapists Centre for Palliative Care
• Forrest LC. Addressing Issues of ethnicity and identity in palliative care through music therapy practice. Aust J Music Ther. 2000;11:23-37.

Books

• Dileo C, Loewy J, editors. Music therapy at the end of life. Cherry Hill, NJ: Jeffrey Books; 2005.
• Froehlich M. Music therapy with the terminally ill child. In Froehlich M, editors. Music therapy with hospitalized children: a creative arts approach. Cherry Hill, NJ: Jefferey Books; 1996. p. 209-17.
• Hilliard RE. Hospice and palliative care music therapy: a guide to program development and clinical care. Cherry Hill, NJ: Jeffrey Books; 2005. p. 37-52.
• Krout RE. Hospice and palliative music therapy: a continuum of creative caring. In Effectiveness of music therapy procedures: documentation of research and clinical practice. 3rd ed. Silver Spring, MD: American Music Therapy Association. 2000. p. 323-411.
• O’Callaghan C. Music therapy in palliative care. In Doyle D, Hanks G, Cherny NI, Calman K. Editors. The Oxford textbook of palliative medicine. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2003. p. 1041-6.
• Pavlicevic M. editor. Music therapy in children's hospices. Jessie's fund in action. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 2005.

Palliative care links and information

Palliative Care Australia (PCA) is the peak national organisation representing the interests and aspirations of all who share the ideal of quality care at the end-of-life for all. It has produced the following policy documents:

• Standards for providing quality palliative care for all Australians
• Palliative care service provision in Australia: a planning guide
• A guide to palliative care service development: A population based approach.

The Department of Health and Ageing website has a palliative care section.

Reference

1. O’Callaghan C. Music therapy in palliative care. In Doyle D, Hanks G, Cherny NI, Calman K. Editors. The Oxford textbook of palliative medicine. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2003. p. 1041-6.

Free Full Text Article

• Hilliard RE. Music therapy in hospice and Palliative care: a review of the empirical data. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2005 Jun;2(2):173-8. Epub 2005 Apr 7.
• Crawford GB, Price SD. Team working: palliative care as a model of interdisciplinary practice. Med J Aust. 2003 Sep 15;179(6 Suppl):S32-4.
• Vink AC, Birks JS, Bruinsma MS, Scholten RJ. Music therapy for people with dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2003;(4):CD003477.
• Street A, Blackford J. Communication issues for the interdisciplinary community palliative care team. J Clin Nurs. 2001 Sep;10(5):643-50.

Related CareSearch pages

What is palliative care?
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Last updated 09 May 2012