Specialist care home Willowbeck has partnered up with a unique music therapy organisation, Chroma to deliver music therapy workshops with care home residents. The partnership will see the organisations working with residents to support neurological development, physical rehabilitation and general well-being.
The nurse-led home will play host to the music therapy which is a form of neurological and psychological rehabilitation process which uses music, sound, instruments, and music technology to support people. It is a regulated healthcare profession and one of the Allied Health Professionals (AHPs).
Chroma’s experienced therapist Sally Watson will work with residents one day a week across a eight-week period to encourage them to get involved in playing a range of musical instruments, singing and song-writing. There will be eight individuals involved in the pilot scheme, receiving one-to-one sessions which will focus on their specific needs. In some cases, this will include improving functional movement and mobility through music therapy.
In addition to the one-to-one sessions with the selected eight residents, there will be open sessions where any of the care home’s residents can participate in the music therapy sessions. The group environment will further encourage development of residents social and communication skills.
Sally said: 
“I am looking forward to working at Willowbeck and with the home’s residents to support progression in their skills and development. I will be working with people who live with a wide variety of needs and conditions and due to this we’ll be developing their own individual goals and objectives.”
The residents involved in the scheme have a variety of complex conditions and the sessions will be tailored to their needs – music instruments will be used to support functional, neurological and psychological rehabilitation while singing and song writing and singing sessions will be tailored for residents with communication and social needs.
Sally is a qualified music therapist and neurologic music therapist, working in a variety of settings with people of all ages, including schools, hospitals and prisons. She currently specialises in working with adults and children with a range of complex needs.
She added:
“Music therapy is proven to increase self-expression, confidence and communication as well as improving social skills, co-ordination and concentration. I will be working with residents to assess their current skills and at the end of the eight weeks I will carry out the same assessment to monitor developments and positive changes.”
Helen Baxendale, Clinical Director at Exemplar, said:
“We are looking forward to welcoming Sally in to our home and seeing the development in our residents. Many of our service users enjoy arts and crafts so I’m sure that they will enjoy and make the most of the music therapy sessions. I look forward to seeing positive developments at the end of the eight weeks.”
Daniel Thomas, joint Managing Director of Chroma, said:
“We are delighted to work in partnership with Exemplar with this pilot programme. It is fantastic to work alongside other care professionals who understand the opportunities music therapy offers to enhance the provision of care for residents.”
