Music Therapy for Hospice - Team Love

The STAR Center 

For the past 32 years, The STAR Center has been standing in the gap for individuals with disabilities. Our mission is to help any person with any disability realize their potential. We'd like to extend the bridge to include those facing end of life and the grief thereafter. 

Music Therapy for Hospice

Every person is unique and should be treated as such. The approach and goals for this project, Music Therapy for Hospice, will be driven by each patient and those surrounding them. Some of the general goals will include physical relaxation, emotional connections, and spiritual support. 

This project will serve as a complement to long-standing reputable hospice providers. The goal is to better serve patients, families, and caregivers in a more holistic approach to end of life care. In addition, family needs extend past their loved one's end of life. Bereavement combined with the healing power of music will serve to mend the wounds of physical separation. 

“Music passes into our limbic system, which is where our emotions lie,” said Russell Hilliard, the first hospice music therapist in the United States. Hilliard continues his work with dying patients and their families to fashion sessions aimed at reducing pain and anxiety. 

Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address the physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. This project will allow collaboration with board-certified music therapists and long-standing hospice providers in the region.

I chose to add the name Love to my personal team page because the first time I ever heard the term "hospice" was when I was eight years old and my grandmother was at the end of her fight with cancer. Her last name was Love. Although, my family did not have a service such as this at that time, I know how much music has always meant to my family. If you know me, you know how much I LOVE the STAR Center. I love it so much that when I decided it was time to return to work, I could not think of anywhere else I wanted to be. I am also so very amazed at the work the Music Therapy department does for those at the beginning of life in the NICU and now for those facing the end of life. Please consider making a donation for the organization, service, and people that I love, so we can continue to serve you and those you love as well. 4