Helping seniors battle isolation
Music therapy virtual option for those experiencing COVID-19 loneliness
A unique form of therapy has been helping long-term care residents during isolating lockdowns by ensuring they feel more connected and less alone.
As a second wave of the COVID19 pandemic has swept the region, it’s brought with it renewed public health restrictions and limits on the visitors allowed into long-term care homes.
But during this time, Halifax-based Kastin Bradley says she and other music therapists on the East Coast have continued sessions with residents virtually to provide cognitive stimulation and social connection during isolating times.
“It still resonates a lot. That’s the beauty of this therapy: that accessibility and that it can happen virtually,” she said.
ADJUSTING TO VIRTUAL
Practising during COVID-19 has meant that all of Bradley’s sessions — she works with Find Your Voice Music Therapy — have been virtual, even when eased restrictions in Nova Scotia allowed in-person sessions.
It’s meant some adjustments as she’s met with clients virtually for individual sessions, but the individualized approach of songs specifically chosen to suit each client’s specific needs has remained the same.
“When you listen to music, your heart rate, blood pressure and stress are lowered. As soon as you’re listening to, singing or playing music, you automatically get those health benefits,” she said.
Bradley said such benefits are even more essential during COVID-19, as many seniors and long-term care residents are increasingly isolated. She recalls a client with late-stage dementia who always remembered her daughter when she heard a specific song.
Bradley said this is but one example of how music, and the recall factor associated with music therapy, can help people feel they are not alone.
“It’s important when we can’t be surrounded by loved ones to still feel that connectedness. Music therapy helps with that,” said Bradley.
St. John’s, N.L. music therapist Renée White noticed an uptick in people reaching out for both group and private sessions since the pandemic. While not as ideal as inperson, videos and slideshows layered on top of music have helped engage viewers and spark reminiscence.
“These new tools have enhanced music therapy in some regards,” said White. “The feedback has been so great: people like having that personto-person connection.”
NOT A REPLACEMENT
Delivering music therapy virtually is not without its challenges, as Charlottetown, P.E.I. music therapist and Singing Sands Music Therapy owner Shona Pottinger said. For example, it makes in-person cues harder to read.
Pottinger said this has posed the biggest challenge, as these cues are vital in designing sessions.
“As a therapist, I’m watching for facial expressions, physical movement and emotional reactions, which is harder to do virtually,” she said. “I’ve had to shift the focus more to general socializing … which maintains their mental health.”
Pottinger said any connection helps to alleviate emotional, mental and social isolation that long-term care residents may be facing, but not being able to read physical cues can make it tough to gauge the specific impact of a session. Even with this challenge, she said the sessions are still a positive impact.
“The one thing I can absolutely gauge is that they are very happy to see a familiar face,” she said.
Beach Grove Home recreation worker Mary-Jane Brothers said Pottinger’s music therapy program has been important for residents at the Charlottetown long-term care centre.
“It’s been going over quite well, with these times that we’re dealing with,” said Brothers. “Whenever our residents see music therapy on the recreation calendar, whether virtual or in-person, they look forward to it.”
ACCESSIBLE SOLUTION
Even with its challenges, White feels the impact her weekly music therapy sessions have each week is big. She says long-term care residents often comment that the sessions are the highlight of their week.
She is eager to return to in- person sessions but said continuing virtually, for now, is more than fine.
“For the time being, it’s been a silver lining to this whole COVID-19 cloud,” she said.
Pottinger also feels the challenges posed by virtual sessions and the missing in- person element do not outweigh its benefits. She said the virtual therapy has become even more important now, during COVID- 19, than pre- pandemic.
“To be able to offer this minor social interaction of seeing each other’s faces and virtually being with each other is … more important as people find themselves isolated,” she said.
Bradley said music therapy is a solution for seniors at a higher risk of feeling isolated, experiencing depression and living within a socially- constricted environment before the pandemic. With these pre- existing factors having been amplified by COVID- 19, music therapy is once again presenting a simple, accessible solution.
“By having dedicated time each week when someone who is educated and whose sole purpose is to engage with this person is there, even just to improve their mood, is a great thing,” she said. “I think it’s the perfect time to look into music therapy.”