Friday, March 11, 2016
Children's Hospital London Health Sciences Centre
Music therapy brings comfort to patients at LHSC's Children's Hospital
March is Music Therapy Awareness Month, and patients and families alike at Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences
Centre are singing the praises of its Music Therapy Program.
Through its Accredited Music Therapist, Karina Charczuk, Children’s Hospital is able to bring the comfort of music into the hospital—often a scary place for young patients. “Music therapy helps patients to normalize the hospital environment,” says Charczuk, who joined the Children’s Hospital team in January 2015. This new program is funded by Children’s Health Foundation.
Music therapy involves the use of music and musical elements to promote, maintain and restore mental, physical, and emotional health. As a music therapist, Charczuk works with children of all ages (from neonatal infants to teenagers), using interventions that include listening to music, lyric analysis, songwriting, and playing instruments.
Three-year-old Dylan Kittmer, an inpatient at Children’s Hospital for the past 60 days, has benefitted from his regular sessions with Charczuk where he gets to play a variety of instruments and sing along to children’s songs with her. For some songs he has bells attached to his ankles along with handbells to shake, and for other songs he manipulates an “ocean drum” with tiny beads that replicate the sound of waves.
“He smiles constantly when Karina is here,” says Dylan’s mom, Karen. “When he’s in session with her, he’s interactive, which isn’t always the case with everyone in the hospital. He’s a social kid, so this therapy is important to help keep him social while he’s here.”
Charczuk holds a bachelors degree in both music and psychology, as well as a masters of Music Therapy. She says music therapy was an ideal way to combine her passions for music and psychology, and she is humbled to have the opportunity to build the music therapy program at Children’s Hospital.
Members of the media are invited to speak with Music Therapist Karina Charczuk, as well as Karen Kittmer whose three-year-old son Dylan – an inpatient at Children’s Hospital – has benefited from regular music therapy sessions. The Kittmers will be available between 2:30pm–4pm today (Friday, March 11).
Media Contact:
Kelly Hutchinson
Corporate Communications and Public Relations
London Health Sciences Centre
519-685-8500, ext. 77129
kelly.hutchinson@lhsc.on.ca
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