Hospice Window Visits

As you can well imagine, my hospice patient visits have been reduced considerably due to Covid-19 restrictions. I have missed my one-on-one visits with my hospice patients, but I am thankful for the willingness of facilities to allow me to make outdoor window/courtyard visits.

Singing outside from a distance to a group of 10-12 residents is very different from a 1-on-1 music therapy session with a patient. In the hospice setting, music therapy means working with patients and their families on goals of interpersonal interaction, creative and emotional expression, increasing coping skills due to loss of independence, enhancing quality of life, and engaging in meaningful legacy work at end of life.

Many of those goals are not addressed in a setting like this, but my philosophy as a music therapist is that it is important to make contact as best as I can, given the current restrictions for everyone’s safety. I may not be able to address individual goals for my patients during Covid-19, but I can help to increase creative and emotional expression, interpersonal interaction, and to provide an enhanced quality of life by continuing to make “distanced” visits.

It is also essential to reach out to family members who are not only struggling with having a loved one in hospice, but who are unable to visit and engage with their loved ones. Because of this, I have made phone calls and have scheduled Zoom calls with patients and their families to connect and check in on how they’re doing.

“This, too, shall pass, but in the mean time, we do the best we can!”

My philosophy during this pandemic is to focus on the best possible way to connect with patients and their families while keeping them as safe as possible.

Window/courtyard visits is a way to let my patients and Facility staff know that I still care and that I am here for them, even though it’s not ideal. This, too, shall pass, but in the mean time, we do the best we can!