Dove music therapy program brings joy to the dying

Wayne Miles has not got the energy to open his eyes, but a faint smile flickers across his face as he silently mouths the words to the John Denver song Some Days Are Diamonds. "Having a space away from the hospital room, which is very clinical and has lots of equipment, to a space that feels homely and comfortable allows people to settle in and enjoy music therapy." Cancer patient Wayne Miles listens as music therapist Tracie Wicks plays a song for him at the Dove Palliative Care Wing. Bringing back memories While listening to music helps patients on a physiological level — reducing the perception of pain and feelings of anxiety by reducing heart rate and stress levels — its impact on an emotional level is profound in a palliative care scenario, Ms Wicks said. "We know that music is very strongly linked to our memory centre, bringing back memories from our life, and that is often very important for people facing the end of their life," she said.