Bev Foster • April 24, 2025

Key Change Series Part 5 – MUSIC CARE CERTIFY: Change in Action

Music is a catalyst for measurable change. And it can be woven into the fabric of a caring community. Care leaders have the power to make that change a reality within their organization through our MUSIC CARE CERTIFY program.

 

Kindera Living has rolled out MUSIC CARE CERTIFY in 8 of their homes in Ontario with excellent results. Each care centre had their own unique music care site team and addressed a site challenge with music.

 

For example, Kindera’s Dundurn Place Care Centre wanted to reduce the stress of daily care given to residents. Dundurn is in the heart of downtown Hamilton; it is multicultural, and serves 112 long-term care residents, 2 respite and 22 convalescent residents. The music care site team learned the residents’ musical preference and incorporated them into personalized playlist used during personal care sessions by the PSWs. Expressive behaviours were reduced by 78%. Cooperation during care improved and stress was reduced for both the care recipient and care giver.

 

At Wellington Park Care Centre in downtown Burlington with 135 long-term care beds and a 16-bed restore program, the music care site team wanted to improve resident experience by creating a music-rich environment. By offering an abundance of new music programs, adding music to existing programs, and encouraging opportunities for musicking, Kindera’s Wellington Park increased monthly musical offerings by 128%. This meant music therapy hours were doubled and now, all residents have their own set of headphones. The team saw an increase in engagement, emotional responses and social interaction.

 

At Banwell Gardens Care Centre in Windsor, a 142-bed Kindera home, the music care site team evaluated the impact of a resident chosen song on staff, when played during the honour guard. Note, when the residents dies and leaves the home through the front door, staff, residents and family gather for an honour guard. Results showed that 83% of staff feel less isolated in their grief when this ritual is performed with resident-chosen music; 94% of staff felt that the resident-chosen honour guard song helps them process grief more effectively.

 

At Anson Place Care Centre, a 47-bed Kindera home in Hagersville, the music care site team created the ‘Sound Bites’ initiative where resident personalized playlists enhanced the dining experience and increased resident appetite by 19%. There were other benefits during mealtime as well, such as a 20% increase in social interaction with more talking, humming, singing, laughing, smiling, swaying and toe tapping.

 

Huron Hospice in Goderich Ontario was the first hospice in Canada to become MUSIC CARE Certified. Their music care site team wanted bedside musicians and nurses at their residential hospice to observe and evaluate the effects of music on residents. By developing two observational feedback cards to record observational outcomes, hospice nurses found that 83% of residents felt calmer from live music moments offered by trained community musicians. Not only did the residents benefit from the music, there was deeper mutual appreciation and support amongst the nursing staff and volunteer musicians.

 

Acclaim Health in the Peel and Halton regions offer adult day programs to support physical and mental well-being through independent living, reduced social isolation and innovative dementia care. At Patty’s Place and Mississauga Clubs, the music care site team used cue songs to improve client transitions in afternoon programming. By using a catchy familiar tune to encourage clients to get up and walk to the after-lunch programming, 75% of clients showed more engagement during the transition by singing, clapping or dancing. At the Burlington and Walmley clubs, personalized musical playlists were used to redirect client agitated focus towards musical engagement such as listening, singing, dancing and discussing.

 

While these are some of the measurable changes reported through the MUSIC CARE CERTIFY process, anecdotal evidence of music’s impact was plentiful.

 

“The stories that come out of our Men’s Musicking program are often touching and humourous which opens the door for deep emotional reminiscence and a collective appreciation of each other’s lives.” – Music care site team member, Menno Place, Abbotsford, BC

 

“Lack of quality sleep in seniors can lead to a range of issues, including increased risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke and diabetes, as well as cognitive decline, falls, weakened immune systems and mental health problems like depression and anxiety. Hawthorne Care Centre’s music care team along with PSWs, used music (15 minutes of play) prior to bedtime to improve resident sleep quality. How exciting for Hawthorne residents!” – Sandy Croley, Director of Programs and Rehabilitation, Kindera Living

 

“Before music was introduced, he was constantly in his room and preferred to stay in bed and sleep. After Arbour Beats came in play, I noticed him coming out of his room much more often asking what programs were happening. I now notice he will start singing in his room on his own, even when music is not playing. He sits in his chair and belts out multiple songs at any time of day for a long duration. I think music sparked something in him.” – Music care site team member, Arbour Creek Care Centre, Stoney Creek, ON

 

We honour all of the early adopters of MUSIC CARE CERTIFY, building the case for music integration as a strategic, key change in the care culture.

A guitar , cowboy hat , cowboy boots and hay are on a wooden table.
By Shelley Neal April 2, 2025
I undertook the MUSIC CARE Certification program when I had journeyed through caring for my mother with Alzheimer’s. It was during my training, I learned how music works in terms of timbre, melody and rhythm and beat, music care domains and music care strategies. It helped me to support mom as the disease progressed. I continued to certify through Music Care and then I had the joy of teaching others the level 1 program Fundamentals of Music Care Theory and Context . I have loved coming alongside others in Long Term Care and using music to support giving voice of what is within one’s life, preventing isolation and loneliness, creating community. I enjoyed all it all. Then, I found myself once again in the Emergency Room with Tim, (my family member) as we were helping him home in his palliative journey. My “outside life” took a back seat and my inside hospital life began. Tim’s was failing and he was no longer able to open his mouth and swallow to obtain nutrient’s due to Parkinson’s . We tried various types of foods, textures and flavours, however, opening his mouth and swallowing remained inaccessible. Tim loved Glen Campbell and Rhinestone Cowboy . When he was a young man, he would repeated play this song until the LP was worn through. He was given a new Glen Campbell CD at Christmas and the song was welcomed back into our lives. There I was ,in my new environment on the tenth floor of the hospital, playing Rhinestone Cowboy. Tim sang along. He actually sang along! He moved his mouth, swallowed and sang along. We were able to get pureed food into his body. Later, the disease continued to ravage his body and Rhinestone Cowboy helped us connected with other such as the speech language pathologist, doctors, cleaning staff and nurses. We sang and danced together with the music and Tim smiled. He knew he was part of a community who loved him. As we knew the end was coming, I played music with a simple melody, 60 beats per minute and soft timbre on my harp to support Tim as he fell into sleep. Near the end, I used tonal music in simple phrases to support calmness matching his breath. Tim passed peacefully and gentle. Today, at his funeral our last song “Rhinestone Cowboy”. After hearing the importance of this song, all the people present joined in singing to honour the village of Tim that so lovingly cared for him. Music Care training has become a natural rhythm in my life to use with aging and sick family members, supporting young children’s learning and providing self-care when I was tired after intense caregiving.
By Shelley Neal March 8, 2024
I initially trained with MUSIC CARE to work with Seniors in Long Term Care who were experiencing dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. This is the path I travelled with my mom. My training with Music Care and Room 217 supported capacity building in selecting music that was played on my harp or chosen recorded music. The music centered on the care of the individual and their specific needs. My job was to determine the individual’s specific and select music to address these needs. The music selected helped to build community, support sleep, talk about life experiences, create a background landscape of sound, support connection to decrease isolation and loneliness, as well as coming alongside people dying. My training with Music Care helped me understand how to support people “where they were” physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Through using beat, tempo, melody, and timbre, I could cater the music and desired support required for individuals or small groups. My profession is teaching. I am a special education teacher and use music in my primary teaching as a method for learning, practicing language skills, transmitting information about science studies or math equations, as well as having fun and creating our own songs. My teacher toolkit married exceptionally well with the knowledge and skills provided by the Music Care Certification training. Recently, my work with students has involved individual programming for the medically fragile children and the palliative children. I use music (repeating the chorus several times) to engage and connect with the kiddos. We use music to "talk" about feelings (our communication is through eye gaze, eye blinks, and squeezing hands), and content material. I use music to enjoy our relationship of being together. At times, due to medication for seizures, my little ones can be very sleepy. I increase the tempo, engaging in tapping the beat on her hands and using silly action songs. The giggles and wiggles make it magical. I also use music to tell stories (my students have CVI, cortical vision impairment, so visual perception is difficult). This helps the child to engage in the story arch and adventures. Music is my conduit for reaching out and being with the students. Recently, I had the sacred journey of visiting one of my children in ICU at Sick Kids. I was invited to come to say "goodbye". A dear friend who was an ICU nurse in a different department told me (AKA, insisted) that I bring my harp with me. I wasn't sure if this would be appropriate for the family. However, with the permission of the mom, I bravely packed my harp up and took it to the Unit. It was a beautiful evening of talking with their mom and dad about how special their child was in my life. I played the kiddo's favorite songs and then ended with "The More We Get Together". The little one opened their eyes and stared at me. We hugged, and I left. They passed the next morning. I consider this time to be a sacred gift. Music Care Certification has given me the confidence and toolset to work alongside people and to journey together. It is a time a beautiful, difficult, or sacred time that I have been honoured to participate in.  Thank You
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