Cultivating Calm

Maggie Scheppmann • April 22, 2022

When I first met this hospice patient, it was clear she had taken her role of caregiver seriously throughout her life and continuing to embody that role is very important to her even as her dementia progresses. Each time I show up for music therapy I am not only working with the patient, but with her cherished baby doll as well.


On one particular visit, we had great success using the Calm app which is now accessible to all BCN team members. As she became more restless and anxious about keeping her baby calm and asleep, I remembered that when I was exploring the Calm app, I noticed they had a playlist of lullabies with a sweet image of a teddy bear to accompany the music. I pulled the playlist up on my iPad and began the music while showing her the image. The combination of soothing and familiar music and engaging visual stimuli quickly helped her to calm down herself and soon she was relaxed and smiling. The music and image conveyed to her that I understood her worries even if she could not find the right words to communicate them.


While most of the music I provide during music therapy sessions is live, I am so grateful to have access to technology resources such as Calm allow me to enhance my practice with patients.



For more information about our Integrative Medicine services, please visit bgcarenav.org.

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