Music is Back in My Life

Care Navigator • Dec 02, 2021

Ronn, 81, has a passion for music. He came from a musical family that gathered every Saturday night to play bluegrass and country tunes together. Ronn learned violin, banjo, guitar and mandolin, and continued to perform and play as an adult. As a Navy pilot in the 60’s, he started a string band with his shipmates on an aircraft carrier. “We played all over the world,” he said with a smile. Throughout his years of raising two sons with Carolyn, his wife of 50 years, and enjoying a successful career as a mechanical engineer and inventor, Ronn’s passion for music never wavered.


However, as his chronic pulmonary disease worsened, it became increasingly more difficult for him to play his beloved mandolin. With his ability to play music fading, Ronn felt like he was losing an old friend. Then his social worker Kaitlin asked our music therapist Maggie to pay him a visit.


A classically trained singer who loves to sing and play music with patients, Maggie uses music and the relationship she forms with each hospice patient to address their changing emotional and physical needs. She can play music to reduce anxiety, or to decrease the perception of pain. Once Maggie tuned Ronn’s mandolin, the two musicians instantly bonded. Ronn wanted to play mandolin again, so Maggie suggested songs she knew he could play, while she sang and played along on her ukulele. Although he had some frustrations, Maggie was there with help and support. Finally, Ronn could play music again!


“To have Maggie play and sing with me is such a treat,” said Ronn. “For one wonderful hour, Maggie makes me feel better and gives me a break from my everyday routine. Music is back in my life.” As a bonus, Ronn’s determination to play again inspired his social worker Kaitlin to learn the ukulele. They would even practice together during her visits, with Ronn encouraging Kaitlin and loving the opportunity to “play some strings” with her as well. He still looks forward to his weekly sessions with Maggie, especially when he feels well enough to play mandolin and sing with her. Thanks to the generous support of donors to our Integrative Medicine music therapy program, they are still making beautiful music together.

Empowering Peace: Navigating Life Beyond the Present with Advance Directives

12 Apr, 2024
April 16th marks Healthcare Decisions Day, a day dedicated to promoting advance care planning (ACP), ensuring individuals' medical preferences are honored, even when they can't communicate them. Diagnosed with chronic kidney disease at 35, Ashley Holt had to learn to navigate and accept her new reality, as well as prepare for life after now. Through her journey and current role at Bluegrass Care Navigators (BCN), she intertwines personal experience with advocacy for ACP, particularly within communities of color and support groups, highlighting the importance of planning for life beyond the present.

Art Therapy Helps Patient Communicate in New Ways

By Whitney Clay • 05 Apr, 2024
I always take a deep breath when I get a visit request for a patient who is an artist. Sometimes it is difficult to bridge the gap between art making and art therapy, and not every artist at the end of life needs or benefits from art therapy. Sometimes the ability to make art is one of the losses being grieved by a patient and arriving with simple supplies such as oil pastels and colored pencils feels like an insult when the home is filled with stunning oil paintings or drawings. Often, it feels like a caregiver is hoping I can help them reclaim something lost to illness and decline.

Art Therapy Gives Bluegrass Care Navigators Patient a New Lease on Life

04 Mar, 2024
Ronnie Stinnett, a patient at Bluegrass Care Navigators (BCN), discovered a unique way to find a new purpose through the transformative power of art therapy.

Music Therapy Brings Patients Comfort and Joy

19 Feb, 2024
Holidays can be a hard time for hospice families, especially if their loved one suffers from dementia and has difficulty communicating in the way they used to. Recently, I had the opportunity to work with a patient who has end-stage dementia. When I arrived at the facility where she lives, I happened to run into the patient and her family out in the hallway.

Navigating Grief at Valentine’s Day

By By Mary McKenzie, Bereavement Counselor, Cynthiana • 13 Feb, 2024
Valentine's Day is just another 'special day' grieving spouses may dread. It can be especially difficult for the recently widowed. The potential load of emotional pain, such as loneliness, sadness, and isolation may depend upon whether Valentine's Day had special meaning for you as a couple. Grief can be intensified by triggers or flashbacks of special memories. Loss of identity and self-confidence can further promote a perception of awkwardness, especially in a world pushing a couple mindset. This is only heightened by media and stores advertising the upcoming special day.

Massage Therapy Relieves Stress and Gives Joy to Patient and Clinician

By Reflection from Sarah Steele, massage therapist • 26 Jan, 2024
Recently, Bluegrass Care Navigators (BCN) massage therapist, Sarah Steele, had the opportunity to provide massage to a patient, relieving her stress and giving joy. In the article below, she shares how this intervention helped her patient, who lived at a memory care center with her husband, find hope.

Massage Therapy Provides Transformative Care

21 Dec, 2023
In the hushed hallways of a hospice center, Bluegrass Care Navigators (BCN) massage therapists introduced a transformative form of care - comforting touch for the hands. A seemingly simple concept, it evolved into a profound tool, touching lives when they were most vulnerable.

Music Therapy Helps Patient Find Solace and Connection

21 Dec, 2023
In the realm of hospice care, there are often hidden heroes – family members who, in the shadow of a loved one's illness, carry the weight of caregiving. The story of Mark and his mother Anne epitomizes the love and dedication that often go unnoticed. Anne had reached the final stage of her battle with vascular dementia, a journey fraught with pain and confusion. The move to Bluegrass Care Navigators (BCN) for hospice care was a challenging transition.

Art Therapy Helps Dementia Patient Combat Anxiety and Depression

21 Dec, 2023
In the final chapters of her life, an elderly patient named Margaret embarked on an unexpected and heartwarming journey as part of her care with Bluegrass Care Navigators (BCN).

Bluegrass PACE Care Helps Kentuckian to Walk Again

15 Dec, 2023
Barbara Harris, current participant in Bluegrass PACE Care, believes that enrolling in PACE is the best decision she ever made for her physical, mental and emotional health. At the Bluegrass PACE Center, she’s found a new community outside of her home, made new friends and receives patient-centered medical care. As a result, she’s learning to take her first steps post-amputation.
More Posts
Share by: