Sergio Hazard's recent paper on his work and research into music therapy with patients with Parkinson's disease raises some fascinating and important questions about how we communicate our work. The paper uses text, photography and video recordings to communicate to the reader/viewer. This is a refreshing way in which to engage the reader. Better still the online links for further information all work - so if you don't know, as I didn't, that RAS means Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation you can immediately find out more about it. The interventions used with 4 patients aimed to "contribute to the rehabilitation of the patients' health in the areas of functionality, emotionality and sociability." The video on functionality was (perhaps not suprisingly) the easiest to understand as we watch the music therapist and client walking to different musics with different rhythms. It was inspiring to hear and see how a hospital ward was becoming musical even though the emphasis was on improving the patient's functionality, the sight of two men (therapist and patient) walking together to music challenged the white coat the therapist was wearing - I felt dancing might be just round the corner...?
Video 3, entitled Elaboration and Integration of Life History (free and guided imagery) ) left me wanting to know more about these techniques and how they are used: I wondered whether video is really the best way of communicating here. I felt for the patient as Sergio rattled his rattle around the patient's head - did he have the strength to flick it away I wondered? But perhaps he'd asked for it? Because the extract was edited in at a point at which the therapist was active and the patient passive it was difficult not to perhaps misunderstand the therapists' intention here - I didn't quite understand what was going on even though I could hear and see it.
The strength of the paper lies in the very clear descriptions of the evaluation methods used and the way in which the writer describes in words his different approaches and how these can be integrated. Sergio Hazard shows that music can override the distinctions between functionality emotionality and sociability and can therefore offer a unifiying thread through a treatment programme for these patients. I came away from the paper, inspired by Senor Hazard's concern and interest in his patients as well as their condition.
For anyone looking at research methods with these patients I think this paper would be very valuable reading.