Music therapy in hospice care with imminently dying patients presents opportunities to facilitate meaningful, transformational experiences for patients and their families. When death is imminent, music therapists are challenged to assess needs and make clinical decisions in the unfolding moments of end-of-life. In a recent grounded theory study conducted by the presenters with US participants, an epistemological framework of clinical practice was constructed from the data and supports how clinical decisions are made based on ongoing assessment in the moment. In addition to learning about this framework, attendees will examine them from their own perspectives, and begin to develop self-reflective questions that will help them learn from their own clinical practice. While the results of our study pertain directly to US music therapists, they may also hold relevance for epistemological foundations of practice in other parts of the world.
Learner Objectives:
- Participants will gain an understanding of assessment when working with hospice patients who are imminently dying (II.B)
- Participants will gain an understanding of clinical decision-making when working with hospice patients who are imminently dying (III.A)
- Participants will learn how epistemology informs assessment and clinical decision-making when working with hospice patients who are imminently dying (V.A)
- Participants will begin to formulate self-reflective questions that will help them learn from their own clinical practice (V.A)
Presenter Biographies:
Erin Fox, MMT, MA, MT-BC is Lead of Integrative Therapies at Allina Health Hospice in Minneapolis, MN. She has a Master of Music Therapy from Augsburg College and a Master of Arts in Gerontology from Bethel University.
Alexa Economos, MMT, MT-BC has a Master of Music Therapy from Appalachian State University and is a music therapist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH.
