Music Therapy Interventions for End-of-Life Care

Music therapy plays an integral role in end-of-life care, positively impacting emotional, social, physical, cognitive and spiritual health. The purpose of this integrative review was to collect and compile studies (N= 55) between 2000 and 2016 on the topic of music therapy interventions in end-of-life care, in order to provide both music therapy students and therapists access to the most recent and commonly used music therapy interventions and goals. Results of the integrative literature review indicate that the most common intervention for all age groups in end-of-life care is songwriting and composition, with the most common therapeutic goal being emotional expression and catharsis. Details of music therapy interventions, goals and song details are written in tables for readers to refer to as a guide. Further research is needed with each specific age group and setting, in order to provide refined results beyond what is revealed through this review. Additionally, evaluating therapeutic outcomes of the interventions and goals obtained through this integrative review is another step that can be taken for future research.