Karen Reshetar, [at right] MT-BC, (Music Therapist Board Certified), earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in music composition from the University of Northern Iowa in December 2001, earned a Music Therapy Equivalency from the University of Iowa in 2007, and passed the MT-BC (music therapist-board certified) board exam in August 2007. Reshetar has experience serving a variety of music therapy populations, ranging from neonatal infants and young children, to adolescents, adults and the elderly. She has a long connection with the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, as both a volunteer, intern and staff member.  She has been with Iowa City Hospice since February 2008. Reshetar also worked for The Joy Of Music, in Washington, Iowa, with older adult populations, adults with disabilities, Parkinson’s patients, and hospice patients (through Hospice of Washington County).

Reshetar has a love for songwriting, and continues to write and record songs in her home studio. Two CDs have been completed to date: For All Eternity in 1998, and Come Fly With Me in 2002.

Joey Walker, [see photo below] MA, MT-BC, is a former music educator who received her music therapy equivalency and master’s degree from the University of Iowa. She worked for 17 years at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics with groups and individual inpatients in the areas of palliative care, pediatrics, adult and child psychiatry, chemical dependency, and general medical care. She has consistently been a presenter for local organizations as well as regional and national music therapy conferences.  Joey has participated in several research studies, and has been published in both music therapy as well as other journals. She currently teaches as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Iowa School of Music. Joey has been with Iowa City Hospice since 2005.

Music with a Goal

This story was originally published in the Iowa City Hospice 2005 Annual Report to Community

Music has significant meaning for most of us—cherished hymns, a couple’s “song,” melodies associated with loved ones or special life events. Music can evoke deep responses.

It’s no wonder, then, that since 1950 music therapy has gained interest within the healthcare field, including hospice care.

What is music therapy? Music Therapist Joey Walker, MA, MT-BC—who joined Iowa City Hospice in February 2005—defines it simply as the use of music to work toward a predetermined non-musical goal. The American Music Therapy Association further defines it as the practice of “using music therapeutically to address physical, psychological, cognitive and/or social functioning for patients of all ages.”

Approximately half of Iowa City Hospice’s patients request music therapy services, says Joey. “It really depends what a patient or family wants. I have used music to help break tension among families, to help patients relax, to improve comfort, to elevate mood, and to reach non-verbal patients. Music can tap into memories and emotions, and help families connect.”

Not every hospice is able to provide music therapy. Iowa City Hospice is fortunate to have this service, another facet of our holistic approach to care and our focus on quality of life for our patients and families. 

Iowa City Hospice Music Therapist

Joey Walker, MT-BC

“In several recent studies, patients who received music therapy in hospice care have reported a better quality of life than those who received standard hospice care,” Joey explains. “Even when the level of physical functioning of patients declined, people reported their quality of life was better and actually improving when music therapy was provided.”

“In my first session with a particular patient in the hospital, he cried. We talked about how music can just pull those emotions out, and that it’s socially acceptable to release feelings to music. The next time I visited, he told his daughter and me, ‘I fell in love with the first strum. You gave me a boost, and I haven’t come down yet.’”

In 2005, Iowa City Hospice’s music therapy program got its own boost with two important gifts: Mary Adamek, Ph.D., MT-BC, a clinical associate professor in the University of Iowa music therapy program (and volunteer, Friend and supporter of Iowa City Hospice), asked her friends and family to give a different birthday gift: make donations to Iowa City Hospice’s music therapy program. The resulting contributions were used to purchase instruments and program materials. A separate gift from an anonymous donor allowed us to purchase additional items, including a keyboard and a recording device, to help patients capture their “stories” and meaningful music.

“These gifts have made a significant difference in what we’re able to offer our patients and families,” Joey says. “It’s exciting to incorporate new technology with treasured traditions.”