著者

和田津 美智代 大蔵 雅夫

出版者

徳島文理大学

雑誌

徳島文理大学研究紀要 (ISSN:02869829)

巻号頁・発行日

no.79, pp.41-49, 2010-03

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Palliative care is specialized health care for dying people which aims to maximize thequality of life and assist families and carers during and after the death. For the last decade,music therapy (MT) has been adopted as one of the holistic therapies in a palliative caresetting.The first author of the present study had practiced bedside MT for a total of 39patients in a palliative care ward of a private hospital for ten months. Most of themreported a decrease of physical pain by the intervention of MT. As the the sessions wererepeated, some became increasingly active so that they could request more songs or sing bythemselves. The others reported that MT caused a healing effect and facilitated emotionalexpression. We discussed the role of music therapist in palliative care through fourimpressive patients at the end of life.First of all, music therapists should have some medical knowledge about psychologicalor physical conditions in patients facing the end of life. Moreover, they should promotetheir performance skills of an instrument in order to effectively assist patients withdifferent needs, as well as communication skills to establish favourable relationships withpatients, their family or co-medical staff.