Music Therapy is the scientific use of music and its elements to help with certain disorders and dysfunctions to promote physical, mental and emotional well-being. Parc Taulí introduced this therapy in 2014 with the help of the Enriqueta Villavechia Foundation and the Ressò Music Therapy Association.
Every Thursday afternoon, two music therapists visit the children and young people admitted to the different pediatric areas of Parc Taulí: pediatric ward, Neonatology Unit and the Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Units. These sessions are brief and adapted to the specific needs of each child and their families. In this sense, the professional vision of the nursing team and the social worker is very important, as they have an overview of all the children and young people admitted, identifying which are the best candidates to enjoy music therapy.
The main objective of this therapy is to provide, through music, well-being, pleasure and tranquility. Núria Bonet, one of the founders of the Ressò Association, explains that “It is a moment of relaxation in the room. The child or young person forgets that they are in the hospital. Music allows us to express different emotions: anxiety, joy, anger... and they use it to free themselves”.
The view of nursing team professionals on the impact of music therapy is very similar to that of music therapists. “It helps them break the routine and manage stressful situations. It is a tool that helps children and their companions to distract themselves”, explains Mireia Méndez, nurse on the pediatric hospitalization floor of Parc Taulí.
But this therapy is not only beneficial for hospitalized people and their families, but also for healthcare professionals, “It helps us manage complicated situations, such as care, and create a bond with the patient and their companions, beyond healthcare. It helps us generate complicity”, explains Mireia Méndez.
Both professionals and music therapists agree that this activity is highly valued. “After the activity we see them more communicative, more relaxed. There is an atmosphere of peace and disconnection from the hospital environment. They can be children and not patients for a while”, assures Méndez. For her part, Núria Bonet confirms that “it is a very useful tool in the emotional support of the hospitalized child and his family”.
The relatives or guardians who accompany these children and young people are very appreciative of this activity, as Guiu's father, from the Neonatology Unit, explains. “It's the change from the routine you have every day and you forget, for a moment, that you're in the hospital. Once they're gone, Guiu is more active and less angry. If they could talk, they'd end up asking for it”.
Over the past 11 years, the activity has been co-financed by the Enriqueta Villavechia Foundation and the Ressò Music Therapy Association. This year, the FC Barcelona Foundation has financed music therapy for children and young people hospitalized in the Pediatrics Unit and the Neonatology Unit, as well as in the Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Units.
