 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Riley Patients and Families Celebrate National Music Therapy Week
09/25/2008
Tomorrow, the Cheer Guild, volunteer support for Riley and IU Hospitals, will host a party for Riley patients and families in celebration of National Music Therapy Week. Festivities will include an "instrument petting zoo," karaoke, crafts, games, music and fun!
WHEN: Thursday, September 25 2-3:30pm
WHERE: Riley Hospital for Children - Atrium 702 Barnhill Dr.
Music is an important part of human life and allows for the expression of complex thoughts, feelings and emotions. Music therapy at Riley Hospital for Children supports medical treatment and can reduce the intensity of pain, decrease the length of a hospital stay and increase positive feelings.
Riley has two music therapists, one full-time and one part-time, who provide approximately 60 hours of music therapy a week - two hours in group sessions with the remaining hours offered on a one-on-one basis.
According to the American Music Therapy Association, music therapy is an established healthcare profession that uses music to address the physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of individuals of all ages. Music therapy interventions can be designed to promote wellness; manage stress; alleviate pain; express feelings; enhance memory; improve communication; and promote physical rehabilitation.
Funding for Riley's music therapy program is provided by the Cheer Guild. For more information or to donate, please visit www.cheerguild.org
Music therapy began after World Wars I and II when amateur and professional community musicians went to Veterans hospitals nationwide to play for the thousands of veterans suffering physical and emotional trauma from the wars. The patients' notable physical and emotional responses to music led doctors and nurses to request the hiring of musicians by the hospitals.
Today, music therapists must have completed approved college-level music therapy curricula, passed a national examination and have met the accepted educational and clinical training standards.
About the Cheer Guild The Cheer Guild was born simultaneously with the opening of Riley Hospital for Children in 1924. Today, their services extend beyond Riley to Indiana University Hospital patients and families. The Cheer Guild is staffed by volunteers and relies on volunteer support across the state of Indiana. The Cheer Guild funds the Music Therapy Program and provides funding for shower facilities; the bereavement program; family cart; chapel renovation; pagers for families; the Riley Safety Store; space improvements; TVs; juke boxes for units; hospital aquariums; a book lending library; dialysis machines, a SUV for the organ transplant team; a 15-passenger rehabilitation transport van; in hospital patient transport monitors; and artwork. The Cheer Guild's most well-known program is the giving of over 12,000 items of comfort per month to patients and families, including toys, quilts, afghans, blankets, pillows, surgery dolls, meal tickets, clothing, books, puzzles, CDs and infant hospital gowns. Visit www.cheerguild.org for more information.
About Riley Hospital for Children As Indiana's first and only comprehensive hospital dedicated exclusively to the care of children, Riley Hospital for Children, a part of Clarian Health, has provided compassionate care, support and comfort to children and their families for 80 years. Each year Riley serves over 160,000 inpatients and outpatients from across Indiana, the nation and the world. Riley Hospital's partnership with Clarian Health and its strong affiliation with the Indiana University School of Medicine make it the only comprehensive clinical resource for Indiana's children and the premiere source for health related information for their parents. From simple care associated with the health and wellness of children and less complex specialty care to the most critically-ill and medically complex cases, Riley Hospital for Children is the leader for pediatric care in the state and the region. In 2004, Clarian became Indiana's first magnet hospital system. Clarian Health Partners, Inc. operates the Methodist Hospital, Indiana University Hospital and Riley Hospital campuses as a single hospital under Indiana law.