How artists and music therapy are helping children at Martin House Hospice

It’s one of the things that makes Martin House such a special place. Sadly during lockdown, we had to take the tough decision to furlough our artists-in-residence and music therapists. However, as we reintroduced planned respite stays, we knew it was important to bring them back, to try to make a stay at Martin House as normal as possible. Due to the pandemic, stays at the hospice are different. Children and young people come alone, or with one parent, and we have to stagger the times they can use communal areas.

It makes it much more difficult to create those times of shared experience, but our artists and music therapists have come up with some really creative ways to ensure we still make a stay at Martin House a fun experience.

We’re incredibly lucky to have extensive gardens, and from the first day they were back, they were making use of the outdoors to create that sense of fun and togetherness. Through these late days of summer they’ve been making the most of the garden, where

children and the care team can keep at a social distance and still enjoy time together.

It’s joyful to see everyone having so much fun, and a reminder of how much we’ve missed our art and music team. Our next challenge will be to find ways to still do this, and make use of the outside space as the weather turns colder, as we can’t have these gatherings inside the hospice.

They’ve also come up with ideas like making up music and art boxes for the children’s bedrooms, so they can still have those experiences if they can’t leave their bedroom, and the team is providing instructions for activities the care team can do with children when they are working one-to-one.

The care at Martin House is holistic – it means we look beyond just the medical needs of a child, and as therapists, that might mean supporting them to record or write a serious song, or it might be just having fun, but we are led by the child’s needs.

It also means the work our therapists do isn’t just about making a finished song or artwork, it’s about the process, the enjoyment, the memory of the day – it’s an encompassing experience. That extends to families too, and we’re missing having parents, brothers and sisters staying at the hospice to share these experiences with their child.

When families do stay, it’s because their child is very poorly, or at the end of their life, or after their child has died. Our artists work with these families on memory items, and they’ve been conscious about having to wear face masks and plastic aprons in these situations. But they’ve found the PPE doesn’t get in the way, they are still able to work with families in the way they need, keeping the essence of Martin House’s values in that work.

Our artists and music therapists are an integral part of the care team, and in the weeks since they’ve been back, everyone has noticed how much the hospice feels more like ‘Martin House’ again. Their creative contribution will be needed more than ever in the coming months as we ride out the pandemic together, making sure we make Martin House the best experience it can be in these uncertain times.

You can find out more about Martin House at www.martinhouse.org.uk.