Musical therapy may be able to bring comfort and pain relief to palliative care patients with terminal illnesses, according to a new study published in the journal Music and Medicine.
Researchers at Concordia University in Montreal provided musical therapy to 371 palliative care patients between the ages of 18 and 101. All of the patients had a terminal diagnosis, mostly cancer.
Each participant was treated to a single musical therapy session that lasted between 15 and 60 minutes.
"Our study showed how music therapy was effective in enhancing pain relief, comfort, relaxation, mood, confidence, resilience, life quality and well-being in patients," explained the study’s lead author, Sandi Curtis.
The musical therapy was so effective that three families requested the teams return to play gentle music as their loved ones passed away.
"On two other occasions, because of the strong relationship established in prior music therapy sessions, the music therapy team was asked to perform at the patients’ funerals," added Curtis.
The researchers are now looking into ways that musical therapy might be used to help women and children who have been victims of violence.