‘Wriggles and rhymes’: Developing a parent and infant music therapy group at a hospice for children with life-limiting conditions and their carers

Abstract

Paediatric Palliative Care (PPC) is a relatively new and often misunderstood medical speciality. In contrast to adult palliative care, which has its foundations in oncology care, PPC focuses on enhancing quality of life for children and young people with life-limiting (LL) and life-threatening (LT) conditions. PPC embraces the whole family by offering care and support in the weeks, months or even years leading to a child’s death and beyond. PPC services are offered through various statutory services as well as voluntary organisations such as children’s hospices. In the UK, over 50 children’s hospices provide short breaks and respite care, including symptom management and therapeutic support, placing a strong focus on high-quality, family-centred care.

Music therapy has been a core family-centred holistic care service at Haven House Children’s Hospice since 2010. The service aims to address the unique and individual needs of the child as well as support the psychosocial and emotional needs of the family. This report highlights the development of the music therapy service within an expanding organisation over the past eight years and describes the introduction of a new parent-infant music therapy group, ‘Wriggles and Rhymes’. The rationale and perceived benefits of offering therapeutic group work in a children’s hospice are presented, with a focus on the ways in which the diverse needs of this clinical population were met within the sessions.