REFLECTIONS
By Kristen Light, BSN, RN
B
ono said, “Music “Yes,” she replied, her can change the tone as loud and shrill as world because it can ever. change people.” My expeHad I heard her corrience suggests that he’s rectly? Still bearing battle right. I’m a nurse on a typwounds in the form of finical medical–surgical unit gernail scratches up my and have cared for people forearms from previous atwith a multitude of diagtempts to offer her nursing noses. One day, I was attention, I approached her assigned to an elderly diwith caution. sheveled woman who’d But she stayed calm. We been admitted to the hossang together as I gently pital for placement of a combed her long, unkempt, feeding tube as a result of silvery hair and styled it in malnutrition related to faila ponytail. I brought her a ure to thrive. mirror and asked her how Yolanda had a long hisshe liked it. tory of psychosis and tended “I love it!” she shrieked. to be extremely combative. The Motown music continShe came to us from a longued to play and we continterm psychiatric facility, ued to sing together as she where she had been a resiallowed me to give her a dent for many years. Her total bed bath, change the hair hung across her face, linens, and help her perform oily and tangled in knots. range of motion exercises. She was bony, and from I was amazed by her transher pungent odor I could formation. tell she hadn’t been recently The time came for me to Some patients have an inner soundtrack bathed. She was at high move on to care for other risk for developing bedpatients. When I returned associated with easier times. sores and it was important to her room, she’d reverted that she be turned every to her former withdrawn two hours, but when approached by staff, she would scratch, self. But as soon as I turned the music back on, this time to the punch, and spit. Her speech consisted of expletives, which she Jackson 5 singing “ABC,” the transformation began again, screamed in a shrill, piercing voice. and Yolanda let me reposition her without a fight. The staff was frustrated. It was physically and emotionally Later in the day, Yolanda’s ex-husband, who was also disexhausting trying to provide nursing care for someone so ada- abled, came for a visit. Without the music in the background, mant about not receiving it. Yolanda greeted him with yelling and cursing. He apologized In the past, I’d had some success in using music with a num- for her behavior, explaining that it was not her talking but the ber of other patients. “Miss Yolanda?” I said, while standing disease. When I told him about the success I’d had with the at an unthreatening distance. Motown music, he revealed to me that one of the founders “Yes?” she screeched. of the Motown movement had been a close personal friend of “Do you like music?” Yolanda’s. “Yes!” I’d just happened to play the type of music that Yolanda I clicked the Motown option on a music app on my cell had the strongest personal connection with, and I wondered phone. Since we’re in Detroit, our patient population tends if such a transformation would have occurred if I’d played her to be familiar with this genre. As the Temptations sang “My another type of music. I’ll never know, but my experience of Girl,” I noticed that Yolanda had begun to tap her foot in the healing power of music with Yolanda has motivated me the bed. to use it on a regular basis with other patients, although none “Do you know this song?” I asked her. have had a response as great as hers. “Yes,” she answered. Now, as a first-year doctor of nursing practice student, my “Can you sing it for me?” focus is on the use of music to relieve anxiety in hospitalized To my astonishment, she began singing. Although her patients. I owe my interest in this subject to my encounter with singing voice wasn’t easy on the ears, her demeanor began Yolanda. ▼ to change. Her face became relaxed. Her body language beKristen Light is a staff nurse on a progressive care unit in Troy, MI. Contact came less defensive. Deciding to take a chance, I asked her if author: [email protected]. Reflections is coordinated by Madeleine Mysko, MA, RN: [email protected]. Illustration by Gingermoth. I could comb her hair.
Playing Her Song: The Power of Music
72
AJN ▼ September 2014
▼
Vol. 114, No. 9
ajnonline.com
By Kristen Light, BSN, RN
B
ono said, “Music “Yes,” she replied, her can change the tone as loud and shrill as world because it can ever. change people.” My expeHad I heard her corrience suggests that he’s rectly? Still bearing battle right. I’m a nurse on a typwounds in the form of finical medical–surgical unit gernail scratches up my and have cared for people forearms from previous atwith a multitude of diagtempts to offer her nursing noses. One day, I was attention, I approached her assigned to an elderly diwith caution. sheveled woman who’d But she stayed calm. We been admitted to the hossang together as I gently pital for placement of a combed her long, unkempt, feeding tube as a result of silvery hair and styled it in malnutrition related to faila ponytail. I brought her a ure to thrive. mirror and asked her how Yolanda had a long hisshe liked it. tory of psychosis and tended “I love it!” she shrieked. to be extremely combative. The Motown music continShe came to us from a longued to play and we continterm psychiatric facility, ued to sing together as she where she had been a resiallowed me to give her a dent for many years. Her total bed bath, change the hair hung across her face, linens, and help her perform oily and tangled in knots. range of motion exercises. She was bony, and from I was amazed by her transher pungent odor I could formation. tell she hadn’t been recently The time came for me to Some patients have an inner soundtrack bathed. She was at high move on to care for other risk for developing bedpatients. When I returned associated with easier times. sores and it was important to her room, she’d reverted that she be turned every to her former withdrawn two hours, but when approached by staff, she would scratch, self. But as soon as I turned the music back on, this time to the punch, and spit. Her speech consisted of expletives, which she Jackson 5 singing “ABC,” the transformation began again, screamed in a shrill, piercing voice. and Yolanda let me reposition her without a fight. The staff was frustrated. It was physically and emotionally Later in the day, Yolanda’s ex-husband, who was also disexhausting trying to provide nursing care for someone so ada- abled, came for a visit. Without the music in the background, mant about not receiving it. Yolanda greeted him with yelling and cursing. He apologized In the past, I’d had some success in using music with a num- for her behavior, explaining that it was not her talking but the ber of other patients. “Miss Yolanda?” I said, while standing disease. When I told him about the success I’d had with the at an unthreatening distance. Motown music, he revealed to me that one of the founders “Yes?” she screeched. of the Motown movement had been a close personal friend of “Do you like music?” Yolanda’s. “Yes!” I’d just happened to play the type of music that Yolanda I clicked the Motown option on a music app on my cell had the strongest personal connection with, and I wondered phone. Since we’re in Detroit, our patient population tends if such a transformation would have occurred if I’d played her to be familiar with this genre. As the Temptations sang “My another type of music. I’ll never know, but my experience of Girl,” I noticed that Yolanda had begun to tap her foot in the healing power of music with Yolanda has motivated me the bed. to use it on a regular basis with other patients, although none “Do you know this song?” I asked her. have had a response as great as hers. “Yes,” she answered. Now, as a first-year doctor of nursing practice student, my “Can you sing it for me?” focus is on the use of music to relieve anxiety in hospitalized To my astonishment, she began singing. Although her patients. I owe my interest in this subject to my encounter with singing voice wasn’t easy on the ears, her demeanor began Yolanda. ▼ to change. Her face became relaxed. Her body language beKristen Light is a staff nurse on a progressive care unit in Troy, MI. Contact came less defensive. Deciding to take a chance, I asked her if author: [email protected]. Reflections is coordinated by Madeleine Mysko, MA, RN: [email protected]. Illustration by Gingermoth. I could comb her hair.
Playing Her Song: The Power of Music
72
AJN ▼ September 2014
▼
Vol. 114, No. 9
ajnonline.com
