Foundation Focus - January 2009 Edition - Kent and Medway NHS ...

WORKING AT THE TRUST
Kent and Medway
NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust
My job at the Trust
Iain Spink, Music Therapist
Music, wrote William Shakespeare, is the food of
love. According to KMPT, it can also be an excellent
source of therapy for people suffering with
dementia and a whole range of other mental
health problems. That’s why the Trust has recently
employed three music therapists to work across the
region. We spoke to one of them, Iain Spink, and
asked him to explain a little more about his role.
I studied for a music degree at
Christchurch University in
Canterbury before training for
two years to become a music
therapist at Anglia Ruskin
University in Cambridge. Since
the early 90s it has been
compulsory for all music
therapists to be stateregistered
and there are
currently about 600
professionals working within
the UK.
Music therapists mainly work
in psychological settings,
although not necessarily
mental health; other areas
include acute hospitals (with
stroke and brain-injury
patients), special needs
schools, nursing homes, care
facilities and hospices. The
Trust’s therapists are working
primarily with Older Adults
within acute wards, mostly
with people suffering with
dementia. Many therapists
tend to specialise in one area
and I particularly chose to work
with older people after a
placement in an OA ward
while a student.
It opened my eyes to how
responsive older people are to
music. Music can often reach
people when nothing else can
and is an excellent form of
communication for people
who have been cognitively
impaired. Some patients have
difficulty relating with others
verbally but may interact with
instruments or by singing.
Several studies suggest that
musical ability and appreciation
often remain intact after
others, including language,
have diminished. For example,
a person experiencing aphasia
and memory loss may continue
to recall and sing old songs
from their childhood.
Clients often have strong
recall for song lyrics and
melodies and we can then
work with those responses not
just to create music but as an
outlet for emotions that
otherwise might not be
expressed.
In the therapy sessions,
interactive music is
spontaneously created using a
range of instruments most
appropriate to the clients’
needs. By establishing a
relationship through music,
clients can experience and
explore new ways of relating,
leading to development and
change. We also aim to help
the client develop an increased
sense of awareness, and
thereby to enhance his or her
quality of life through creative
self-expression.
We use a variety of
instruments that are accessible
to non-musicians – drums,
shakers, xylophone etc – and
the emphasis is on interacting
with them and giving them the
opportunity to use these
instruments with other people.
Patients who won’t talk will
often engage with an
instrument; I don’t mean just
random hitting or shaking but
really engage with it musically
– rhythmically, melodically and
through their own body
language.
It sounds a lot of fun, but it
has to be remembered that this
is a form of psychotherapy and
what the patients are
expressing might not have
anything to do with enjoyment
– they might be expressing
frustration, or anger, or some
other strong emotion. Music
isn’t always associated with
happy experiences and it may
conjure up memories of loved
ones who have died or all sorts
of emotional experiences and
frustrations, but it is still useful
in helping to create discussion
within a group. Music is a very
social activity; older people can
often be socially isolated so
this provides an opportunity
for them to interact creatively
with others. Our ultimate aims
are always therapeutic, not
necessarily musical.
Iain Spink with Activities Organisers
Darren Johnson and Pauline Gemmell.
Foundation Focus January 2009
13