Soothing music: — Thanatologist helps ease suffering of the terminally ill

MURRAY — It is the most tender of moments.

Irene Young sits in the center of the room between her parents, Elaine and Ray Hermansen, both of whom are bedridden. She takes her mother's hand and gently begins stroking it, leaning her head against her ailing mother's arm. The worry lines she has developed from caring for her dying mother for the past three years show clearly on her face, but all is forgotten for this moment.

Just inside the Hermansens' room, Tristan Adair, a music thanatologist with CareSource Hospice, begins playing soothing music on her harp. Adair visits the Hermansens and Young about once every two weeks to hold a music vigil with them for 45 minutes to an hour. As she plays, Ray Hermansen immediately relaxes and falls asleep. Elaine Hermansen also visibly relaxes as Adair continues her vigil, which includes ancient Gregorian chants, hymns, lullabies and, today, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," at Young's request.

Young says the music vigils do wonders for both her and her dying mother.

"It brings a peace to her and a peace to me. There's not many things in life that can bring that kind of peace," she said.

As a music thanatologist, Adair visits terminally ill patients, like the Hermansens, to hold music vigils to help ease their physical, emotional and spiritual suffering and, oftentimes, to ease the transition between life and death.

"Thanatos means death . . . I work with music with those people who are dying," she said. "I help with unbinding and relaxation. If I see that my music is stimulating, I will actually leave. The patient is so fragile both physically and emotionally. I don't like to stimulate them and use their energy."

Adair is one of only 60 music thanatologists in the world. To become one, she had to attend music thanatology school in Missoula, Mont., for three years to take graduate classes in physiology, anatomy, the history of death, sociology and music, among other classes.

Music thanatology helps the patient relax and promotes his or her well-being. Adair refers to her art as prescriptive music because she strives to use it to meet the patient's needs. Both before and after a vigil, she will take a patient's pulse and respiration so she can match her music to their breath. It is also a comparative clinical tool to see how the patient's condition may change by the end of the vigil. As part of the CareSource interdisciplinary team, Adair attends team meetings and morning rounds so she has a good background on the patient's condition and emotional state. This information assists her in knowing what music to prescribe.