informative Speech Outline with presentation Aids (^277)
a. Vigils are especially helpful during crises periods when hard decisions are made
or life-supports are removed (League for innovation, 2010).
- Thanatologists play harps because they are easy to transport and they are
polyphonic (meaning they can play more than one note at a time) (Chalice of
Repose project, 2009, last updated). - They play unfamiliar tunes because they don’t know what associations a
patient has with a particular melody (Trujillo, 2011).
b. patients, families, and care facilities benefit.
- patients typically experience decreased pain, reduced anxiety, deeper slumber,
and lessened fear (League for innovation, 2010). - Families have opportunities to have closure.
a) For example, music at Kathleen Corcoran’s bedside encouraged her
friends and family to sit by her, “pour out their hearts, and verbally
express themselves,” according to Sister Vivian Ripp, her music-
thanatologist (McGowan, 1998).
b) each person thanked Kathleen for what she had brought into his or
her life, and she died peacefully.
c) “it was strikingly, overwhelmingly beautiful,” her husband said
(McGowan, 1998).
c. Facilities report a decrease in pain and delirium medications (Baker, 2010). - Music-thanatology has proven effective with cancer, respiratory and infectious
diseases, AidS, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and multiple sclerosis patients. - Rebecca Hazlett (Harvey, 2010), who has played for hundreds of dying persons, pro-
cesses her emotions by talking with other thanatologists and by crying in her hot tub.
a. Thanatologists must have a self-care program such as meditating.
b. “The key is you have to have made some sort of peace with the idea of dying,”
Hazlett says.
Conclusion
[Replay the harp music from the introduction.]
i. Today we have looked at the ancient but also contemporary practice of music-thanatology
as a way of assisting dying patients.
ii. We contrasted it with music therapy, noted its roots in medieval infirmaries, and heard
some of its proponents’ claims.
iii. death is inevitable, but music-thanatologists do their best to soothe and comfort those
who are going through it.
iV. Although Salvatore Villalobos died, his wife said, “Judith and her music were a great
inspiration in our lives. She made the last days of my husband’s life very comfortable
and he found peace” (Trujillo, 2011).References
American Music Therapy Association. (2011). A career in music therapy. Retrieved from http://www.musictherapy
.org/handbook/career.html
Baker, R. C. (2010, July 21, last updated). Music-thanatology. Advance for Nurses. Retrieved from http://nursing
.advanceweb.com/Regional-Articles/Features/Music-Thanatology.aspx
Chalice of Repose Project. (2009, July 30). Why the harp for music-thanatology and prescriptive music?
Retrieved from http://chaliceofrepose.org/why-the-harp/
Chalice of Repose Project. (2010, April, last updated). Overview of all educational programs offered. Retrieved
from http://chaliceofrepose.org/ed-overview/
Fins, J. (2006). A palliative ethic of care: Clinical wisdom at life’s end. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
Harvey, J. (2010, March 9). The sound of angels moving matter—music and medicine at the end of life. Estes Park
Trail-Gazette. Retrieved from http://www.eptrail.com/ci_14641088Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.