2009 "Healing Through Art" Calendar & Online Gallery

Creative Arts & Complementary Therapies Facilitate Meaning Making and Healing for Both Patients and Their Loved Ones

Keystone Hospice was founded upon a commitment to be true to the holistic hospice model as conceived by Dame Cecily Saunders, and was one of the first hospices in the nation to utilize music therapy to assist with pain management and emotional healing.

Over the past decade, this commitment has grown into a comprehensive creative arts and complementary therapies program with credentialed therapists in music, art and dance movement therapies as well as Acupuncture, Oriental Medicine, and massage therapy.

These therapies are offered to all hospice patients and their families and customized for each individual regardless of where hospice care is being provided.

Each therapy offers unique means to support patients and families in experiencing quality of life at end of life—not only treating physical symptoms to keep patients comfortable—but also addressing issues related to meaning making of life experiences, creating legacies, facilitating self expression, and accessing inner strengths.

“ In a culture that dismisses and avoids the reality of death, my experience as a music therapist has taught me that the end of life is a sacred time, full of mystery and potential for transformation. I feel privileged to be able to accompany patients during their transition to what lies beyond. I am deeply moved each time I witness the healing into death that is possible at end of life. I am very proud of our talented team and the work that they do.”

Laura Thomae,
Director of Creative Arts & Complementary Therapies

Creative arts therapies enhance the lives of individuals through music, art and movement therapy experiences. Often what emerges are rich, multi-layered expressions that give voice to the soul and spirit that exists within even the sickest patient. Acupuncture and massage are utilized to provide relief from physical symptoms, aid in easing anxiety, and promote relaxation.

Guided exercises and therapeutic experiences provide tangible symbols and metaphors for expressing that which cannot be expressed easily in words. Sometimes, internal experiences of feelings, emotions, fears or anxieties are difficult to verbalize and explain, perhaps the right words are hard to find or don’t exist to clarify how we feel. Symbolic expression through activities such as music making, song writing, journaling, poetry, painting, drawing, or creative dance/movement can provide the means to express what words cannot.

Engaging in these experiences can decrease the sense of isolation one may feel as one faces issues regarding loss, grief and end of life. Most importantly, patients are able to access the wellness within through these holistic therapies to powerfully and deeply enhance their quality of life.

For more information, please contact Laura Thomae, MT-BC, at lthomae@keystonecare.com