Music Therapy for Vulnerable Populations

Music Therapy for Vulnerable Populations will bring Music Therapy to seniors across 5 aging care homes in Calgary and Okotoks, and women and children fleeing domestic violence. This funding would allow the Brenda Strafford Foundation (BSF) to consistently provide the joy and benefit of music therapy to all sites and services areas, benefitting more individuals.

As an organization, the BSF believes in the importance of quality improvement as it relates to the wellbeing of those we serve. For the populations we serve, providing music therapy in their home environment provides equal opportunity to access programming to support emotional expression, mood regulation, and brings the enjoyment of music to their doorstep. According to the Canadian Association of Music Therapists, “music therapy is a discipline in which Certified Music Therapists use music purposefully within therapeutic relationships to support development, health, and well-being”. Music therapy is suitable to a variety of settings and can benefit individuals of various ages and abilities including mental health difficulties, emotional traumas, those in palliative care, and victims of abuse, to name a few. Music therapy has also been shown to help those with dementia by encouraging reminiscence of the past while reducing anxiety and fear.

Various music therapy interventions have been used in sessions across our sites including singing (to increase reminiscence, memory recall, alertness, and social interaction with others), instrument playing (to increase fine and gross motor skills, positive affect, and social interaction with others), and listening to pre-recorded music (to increase structured and free movement, reminiscence, alertness, and social interaction with others). Music therapy does not require musical ability, making it accessible to all and helping to open doors to communication, creativity, processing difficult emotions, and enhancing quality of life.

The BSF focuses on direct service delivery with several vulnerable populations, including low-income seniors, people with dementia, and people with developmental disorders. Across all five aging care sites, the BSF provides comprehensive services for over 1000 older adults annually, nearly 200 of them housed in memory care neighbourhoods which address the unique needs of people living with cognitive decline. Additional services, such as our Adult Day Programs, support older adults in the community impacted by cognitive disabilities. Notably, depression rates are 70% lower for BSF long-term care residents compared to other long-term care facilities in Alberta (Aberta Health, Facility Outcome Measures Report). This demonstrates enhanced well-being and reduced social isolation thanks to a number of therapeutic recreation initiatives that target social and emotional wellbeing outcomes among our residents.

The BSF also owns and operates the Heart Home Network (HHN) second-stage family violence shelter, which houses approximately 300 women and children each year. Second-stage shelter provides women and their children a safe place to land, offering short-term, affordable housing to permanently leave their abusive situations and start a new life. HHN serves a diverse group of clients, with 79% of all HHN families identifying as people of colour, and 29% of those families identifying as Indigenous. Upon intake, most of our residents are unemployed (68%) or unable to work (13%) as they focus on getting themselves and their families to a place of safety. Over 75% rely on social assistance, primarily Alberta Works and the Canada Child Benefit as their main income source. Children and youth make up more than 50% of those living at HHN.

Each of these populations can greatly benefit from music therapy interventions, whether they are used as a therapeutic recreation activity (long-term aging care) or in addition to traditional counseling (women who have escaped family violence) and play therapy (children 0-12 who have experienced family violence). Emotional distress compounded by sudden life changes, isolation, and loss of social networks are major problems faced by seniors and families living with the trauma of abuse. Group music therapy can address multiple aspects of these challenges, helping people feel more grounded in themselves and connected to others.