Complementary therapies - Very Special Kids

In addition to providing specialist care in a home-away-from-home setting, the staff at Very Special Kids House provide a range of complementary therapies to enrich the children’s stay at the hospice. Music Therapy It is only just recently that music therapy services have been made available to clients in the fields of end-of-life care, hospital settings, nursing homes and community programs in Australia. Very Special Kids is leading the way in Victoria with the provision of Music Therapy in a community based hospice. For some children, Music Therapy provides a tool with which they can communicate, express themselves and be understood, often for the first time. Music Therapy was first introduced as a pilot program to the children’s hospice in August 2001 for one day per week (Wednesdays) and was increased to two days per week (Wednesdays and Saturdays) to accommodate the increased demand for the program on weekends for those children that attend school during the week. Music Therapy complements the clinical treatment that these children receive and aims to: Respite Foster the development of musical confidence through ongoing opportunities for creative expression Establish a musical relationship that promotes growth and responds to the child’s changing needs over time Facilitate non-verbal communication via instruments and vocalising that recognises each child’s unique potential Provide a familiar and fun experience that reconnects the child to the respite situation Provide opportunities for emotional release in a positive way using music Facilitate communication with other children through group activities Reduce the child’s tension levels as they adjust to an unfamiliar environment Promote positive and creative experiences that enhance self-confidence and self-expression End-of-life Promote relaxation through the use of familiar and comforting musical material Provide an opportunity for emotional expression and release through an appropriate medium Offer opportunities for fun and creativity that are typical for children at any time Facilitate family communication through experiences such as song writing and singing Contribute to pharmacological pain relief strategies through the use of musical strategies such as attention diversion Group Activities Very Special Kids provides illness-specific weekends for two age groups of boys with Muscular Dystrophy. The weekends came about from the boys and their parents, who identified the benefits of being able to mix with peers of their own age facing similar issues. These weekends are important in providing peer support and social interaction.