Music Therapy -
One of the things that makes us different from other hospice programs in the area is the use of music therapy for our patients. At Hospice Savannah, Inc., the music therapist uses music-based techniques and interventions to address clinical issues of our patients. Each session is individualized to meet the needs of the patient and family. Music therapy can facilitate relaxation, reduction of symptoms (i.e. pain, anxiety, and shortness of breath), improve mood and allow for self-expression.
Music therapy is an established health care and human service profession using music to improve quality of life by optimizing health and wellness and addressing the needs of children and adults with disabilities or illnesses (AMTA, 2001).
A Massage Therapist uses massage-based techniques and interventions to address clinical issues as identified on the patient plan of care such as expression of feeling, pain, coping strategies, insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Therapeutic massage is offered to the patient and family to meet those needs. Massage can be done both in the home and in our inpatient facility. Our massage therapist is specially trained in palliative techniques to meet the comfort needs of Hospice Savannah patients.
It is our belief that preserving a person's life story is a gift of love and life. It is human nature for us to tell stories. By doing so, we explain our world and come to understand who we are.
It is difficult to pick which is sweetest: the story we live, the story we tell or the story we hear. Story keeping is counted among the "Healing Arts" because to review one's life, to leave messages of love and to pass onto others, wisdom learned from life experiences, guides a person on the path homeward.