Hospice Niagara plans new music therapy program
People with terminal illnesses and those grieving loss of loved ones could benefit
People with terminal illnesses in Niagara will soon be able to create lasting legacies of cherished memories for loved ones, thanks to a new initiative planned for Hospice Niagara.
Likewise, Niagara residents grieving the loss of a loved one will soon be able to continue their healing process through the same therapy.
They’ll be doing it all through the magic of music.
That’s because the hospice, which offers free programs and services to clients and their families (including the Stabler Centre hospice residence where people live their final days in dignity and with compassionate care, day hospice programs, visiting volunteers and offering compassionate care into people’s homes), plans to launch a music therapy program.
CannTrust Holdings, a federally regulated and licensed producer of medical and recreational cannabis which operates a major greenhouse facility in Pelham, announced recently that one of the first recipients of its new We Care social responsibility program will be Hospice Niagara.
The agency got a three-year commitment of $25,000 per year to establish and run the music therapy program.
Executive director Carol Nagy said the agency had been trying for the past three years to get funding to launch music therapy.
“These kinds of alternative therapy programs are not funded by our base funding by the (province),” she said in an interview. “It’s always a challenge to get them started.”
The agency offers other alternative therapies such as reiki, a form of energy healing involving gentle touch, for people living in their homes and for those who have moved to the Stabler Centre.
Some of those programs are made possible through volunteers with credentials donating their time. For instance, one volunteer leads twice-weekly hikes along the Bruce Trail for people in bereavement.
But Hospice Niagara also relies on corporate sponsorship such as the new one by CannTrust to launch and maintain new alternate programs to ensure they’re sustainable.
“The one-offs are really hard,” said Nagy.
“We don’t want to be in a situation where we can’t sustain it, then have to shut it down. We never want to be in that situation.”
Stable corporate sponsorship allows the agency to properly plan and implement the programs, said Nagy.
She hopes the music therapy program will start within this fiscal year, although it may begin on a part-time basis because additional funding will be required to run it full-time.
The program could involve people with terminal illnesses writing lyrics or putting poetry to music as a way to leave a legacy for their family and loved ones, said Nagy.
“It’s a way of telling your life story or family story.”
At a recent event in Niagara Falls where the funding for both Hospice Niagara and community gardens were celebrated, Nagy told a gathering her agency was fortunate to have CannTrust embrace the vision to fulfil the dream of launching a music therapy program.
“We all know how music touches our lives,” she said. “It touches us in important parts of our lives and sometimes tells a story for us of that special anniversary or that special time that maybe when a child was born or we were singing a song to a little one.”
The music therapy program will also benefit those dealing with loss, said Nagy. “Our services start at the time of diagnosis and go through to family members in bereavement.
“We’ll use music in our bereavement program as a way to express grief, sadness, anger at having lost a loved one.”