Give music therapy a chance in post-stroke rehabilitation

Abstract

Researching music in the field of stroke rehabilitation [i] is now encouraged and is becoming a field of increasing interest. This study aimed to investigate how patients and caregivers experience music therapy when it is included in routine stroke rehabilitation. The study was performed among inpatients in a PRM department. Music therapy sessions were included in usual routine care from October 2015 to April 2016. Each patient received 40-min individual sessions of music therapy, twice a week, for at the most 2 months, consisted of listening to recorded music and practicing improvisation with an instrument. The perceptions of caregivers and patients were analysed by using questionnaires specifically designed for the study. Thirty-one caregivers returned the questionnaire. The feasibility of music therapy was considered good for 90%: sessions were simple to implement, easily integrated into the course of the day and did not disrupt the functioning of the department. All caregivers believed that the therapy may improve practices in stroke rehabilitation and be helpful to the patient. Fifty-three % of the caregivers noted positive improvement in patients, especially in mood, motivation, self-esteem, oral expression and behavior. Eleven patients followed the program and completed 69 survey cards over 118 sessions. All said they had benefited from music therapy. To describe their feelings after a music therapy session, they often first chose the word “relaxed”, “quiet”, “alert”, “rested”, and “light”. Furthermore, with the open question “What does music therapy bring to you?”, we observed 3 types of answers: “something else in the hospital care experience”, “music discovery, hearing and expressing, playing”, and “a kind of creativity with improvisation”. The reaction of the caregiver team was excellent and patient compliance was also excellent. We conclude on the feasibility of music therapy in a PRM department for post-stroke inpatients.