Transcription:

Scott Webb: This is Mission In Action, a podcast from St. Mary's Healthcare in Athens, Georgia, focusing on patient-centered care under our mission to be a transforming healing presence within our communities. I'm Scott Webb. And today, we're discussing the mind, body and spirit healing environment that chaplains, therapy dogs, therapeutic music, and more help to foster at St. Mary's Healthcare.

And joining me today are Vice-president Julie Carter; hospital chaplain and owner of Ali, the therapy dog, Jessica Chicken; and certified music practitioner, Connie Muscenti. So, thank you all for joining me today. And we're going to hear some live music coming up from Connie, which is going to be great. As we get rolling here, Julie, tell us about St. Mary's efforts to create a healing environment.

Julie Carter: So our healing environment effort is really to supplement what we do in terms of just direct high-quality patient care. What our doctors and nurses and our respiratory therapists and other clinicians do every day. But we take an approach that focuses on the whole person, feeling that it's very important that we attend to body, mind and spirit.

And we think about the healing environment, of course, for our patients and those we serve, but also for our colleagues and the community in which we serve. So that's why we intentionally pour extra effort into not just the built environment, but some of the ancillary ways in which we can support healing.

You know, when you talk to people about "Think back to a time when you felt like you weren't well, that you needed some support," most people, when they recount that, don't talk about the medicine they were prescribed or the procedure that was done, but they talk about some kind of human interaction or where they were, what it felt like. So that's why we focus so much on a healing environment.

Scott Webb: I think you're so right. And I was thinking back to when my grandpa passed away when I was a kid. And I don't really remember much about the medical part of it and the physicians and the nurses and everybody who tried to save him. But I really do remember speaking with the chaplain after he passed and that's such a present memory, even though it was so long ago. And so Jessica, along those lines, tell us what is the role of a chaplain.

Jessica Chicken: As chaplains, we kind of specialize in providing spiritual support to all people of all faith backgrounds. So our goal is really to be a fellow journeyer for our patients, families, and the staff that we serve alongside of. We help provide a safe space for those that are in our care to process through their needs, whether they're emotional or spiritual. And our hope is to kind of bridge the gap between community spiritual resources and the resources that patients and families and staff need here within the hospital walls. So providing access to spirituality kind of helps provide some assurance and peace and comfort and ultimately healing while here within our care.

Scott Webb: It definitely does. And that was definitely my experience. And I'm sure many have had a similar experience and that there's so much going on. But that connection, that personal connection with a chaplain at a place like St Mary's Healthcare is so important. And I wanted to ask you as well, in what ways do things like therapy dogs or rituals and commemorations contribute to this healing environment that were discussing?

Jessica Chicken: First, let me talk about rituals. I think that's a huge piece of it. Whether it's kind of familiar ritual that families have, whether it's celebrated in their church or spiritual communities that we can kind of re-implement for them here at the hospital, especially during times of uncertainty and chaos that adds some stability to their experience. Something that kind of helps ground them while kind of walking through the unknown. And I think also rituals can provide us with that hope and that peace as we navigate difficult times. And sometimes while families and patients are here, we even work to help them create new rituals to kind of commemorate what's happening here within our walls, to give them some peace to help them cope better with their circumstances.

We also have a therapy dog here at the hospital, his name's Ali. And I think they're a wonderful resource, very different than rituals, but wonderful and I wish we had more. There's something that is extremely comforting about being in the presence of an animal that kind of loves you unconditionally. And the great thing about therapy dogs is they can be utilized in a lot of ways. So staff can use them as a quick break, a respite kind of in the midst of the chaos. Patients who are feeling isolated or alone can utilize them as a companion. I've also experienced that they're a great ice breaker. So if we're maybe having trouble connecting with a patient or their family, the therapy dog's presence can bring comfort and familiarity in the midst of the unknown.

I've seen my therapy dog lay down on the bed next to an agitated patient and his presence kind of caused their blood pressure to decrease. And I've also had families request that he lay next to their dying loved one to kind of provide a physical, tangible presence during the dying process. So all these things together, therapy dogs, chaplains, creating space for rituals, allow a bit of normalcy, comfort, respite in the midst of the unknown, which I think can be extremely healing for our minds, our bodies and our souls.

Scott Webb: Definitely. And, you know, since we've got Julie as a part of the podcast, maybe we can twist her arm a little bit and get some more therapy dogs. What do you think, Julie?

Julie Carter: Yes, I'm all for it. And I've seen what Jessica has described and more. And I think that she touched on this thing of healing, which is very different from curing. Jessica happens to work a lot with patients in our critical care units. And, you know, the hope always is that they're cured and they go home, but we all know that is not always the ending. And so having these opportunities to provide healing moments, reconciliation, peace, that can heal even when we cannot cure someone. And I think maintaining that focus on the dignity of a person, especially in transitions, is very much a distinction about how we approach our care for patients.

Scott Webb: That sounds good, Julie. And I want to bring Connie in now. And Connie, can you explain what live therapeutic music is? I know you're going to play some music for us in a bit. And also tell us about some of the experiences you've had with both patients and colleagues and the impact that the music has on them.

Connie Muscenti: Live therapeutic music is music played at the bedside to provide an environment of healing. It actually focuses on the patient with the aim of bringing in the moment comfort to the patient's whole being, a lot like what Julie said involving body, mind, and spirit. But the thing that's different about live therapeutic music say then music therapy, is that the patient simply is there present hearing the music. There's no expectation from the patient except to accept the sound.

As a therapeutic musician, my only goal is to meet the immediate needs of the patient and create an environment of healing. Family members, visitors, anyone who happens to be around with them can also benefit. The scope of my practice is kind of changed lately though, because originally I was playing just at the bedside. But when COVID came upon us, I was also able to have the opportunity to begin playing for colleagues and medical staff and it was to help alleviate anxiety, which is what I primarily witness when I'm playing for patients and now colleagues.

If a patient is non-responsive, I often can recognize signs of physical relaxation, deeper breathing. I am watching the monitor if I'm in an ICU where monitors are available and I can see blood pressure and heart rate begin to move maybe to normalcy. Family members begin to relax. Patients oftentimes begin to cry or get teary-eyed because the music helps them let down. They've been so bottled up. They've been so stressed from what they've been going through, that it actually helps them release.

Scott Webb: I'm just thinking about, you know, you there playing and seeing a patient's blood pressure go down as you're playing. What an amazing feeling, what an amazing gift that is, to be able to, you know, bring comfort to patients and families, to see an immediate sort of medical reaction to the therapeutic music you're playing. It seems like a good time. Connie, would you play something for us? I've never really had live music on a podcast, but I'd love for you to play something for us.

Connie Muscenti: Sure. And before I do that I'd like to tell you that we don't play the same kind of music for every situation. As a therapeutic musician, even though I've been a professional musician and music educator for many, many years, I couldn't just go into a hospital and play therapeutic music. I actually had to get certified through a program called Music For Healing and Transition. And that's where I learned how to play music in a medical situation and even be comfortable in a medical environment.

And the beauty of this type of work is whatever the musician's repertoire happens to be, we can adapt it to the needs of the patient. So the little piece I'm going to play for you is just an improvisation that I would play for someone who's very stressed, maybe even non-responsive, because hearing is the last sense to go. So whether it be end-of-life or someone in a temporary coma, we play for them because they still hear what's going on. And this is a little piece that I might play in a situation like that.

Scott Webb: really lovely. It definitely had a reaction, caused a reaction in me, which was just a big smile on my face. Thank you so much, Connie.

Connie Muscenti: Thank you. Thank you.

Scott Webb: Yeah, and this has just been such a lovely conversation. I'm in such a good mood now. I hate to wrap it up, but, Julie, as we do that, what are your final thoughts and takeaways for listeners about the healing environment that you all worked so hard to create and foster at St. Mary's?

Julie Carter: Well, I'm very proud of it. And I'm very grateful for the team of people that work every day to contribute to that healing environment. You know, for us, it's really about preserving the humanity and everything, especially in this time of COVID in supporting both our colleagues, as well as our patients and their families. So I feel blessed to be with an organization that has these values and invest in this way.

Scott Webb: I'm sure you do. And I can hear it in all of your voices, just the pride that you all feel in the work that you're doing at St. Mary's Healthcare. And I'm really proud to be a part of this podcast today. This was really lovely. So thank you all and please stay well.

Julie Carter: Thanks, Scott. Bye-bye.

Scott Webb: And for more information, go to stmaryshealthcaresystem.org.

And this has been Mission In Action. The podcast from St. Mary's Healthcare in Athens, Georgia, focusing on how we provide patient-centered care under our mission to be a transforming healing presence within our communities. Thanks for listening.