I first met John several months after I had started volunteering at the US Department of Veterans Affairs. My supervisor had introduced me to him as she believed that music therapy could alleviate some of his chronic pain. John suffered from a disorder that would make him feel intense, excruciating pain at all times, so much that it was hard for him to get out of bed or go to sleep. Music therapy (through programs such as Music & Memory) could be especially beneficial in treating pain disorders. However, John also suffered from severe hearing loss, which meant that playing a Music & Memory iPod playlist for him would have some challenges.
Nevertheless, I was determined to help John in any way I could. So, first, I got a detailed history of John’s music from my supervisor’s records and quickly created a playlist for him. Next, I faced the hard part: how could I play an iPod playlist for John so that he could hear the music and feel its effects? I decided to do research about what devices I could use to amplify sound and play it at a higher volume so that John could hear the music. I came upon a device that was essentially a pair of headphones connected to a speaker. What this meant was that John could wear the headphones and I could speak to him through the speaker or connect the speaker to another source to play music; I could also amplify the sound more or less if needed. Success! I had found a device that would allow me to help John.
The next time I came in to volunteer, I went straight to John’s room, iPod playlist and amplifying device in hand. When I asked John if he’d like to listen to his playlist, he refused, saying he was in too much pain. I did not anticipate John refusing to listen to the playlist, and I didn’t know what to do. I consulted my supervisor, who said there was nothing I could do, I could just try again the next weekend I came in to volunteer.
So, for about the next 6 times I went to John’s room to ask him to listen to the iPod playlist, he refused. The 7th time I visited John, though, he finally agreed. I placed the headphones on his ears and connected the speaker to the iPod playlist. As the songs played for John for the first time, there seemed to be no visible effects of the music on John. However, just then, I saw John’s face relax and fists unclench, a sign of his momentarily diminishing pain. The music had helped him; John’s pain was alleviated, and I was able to help him by working around his hearing loss.
Working with and getting to know John has been an absolute honor for me. It was intensely satisfying for me to see the relief John felt and after listening to the playlist I curated for him. Since my initial experiences with John, I have played his iPod playlist for him every week and created tens of iPod playlists for other residents at the VA. I am thankful that I was pushed out of my comfort zone to volunteer at the VA, and at LGNC, and grateful for the people I was able to help.