This blending of art and care asks us to rethink the tools of healing. Music therapy programs test different songs, rhythms and interaction styles to find what helps each person cope. When a nurse or a trained musician plays an instrument at the bedside, the notes become a kind of signal that redirects the nervous system and fosters calm. That matters for recovery: less pain, lower stress hormones and improved sleep support repair and rehabilitation.
Thinking about care through the lens of human potential highlights inclusion and dignity. Music can offer an accessible, low-cost way to ease suffering across ages and backgrounds while honoring cultural preferences and personal histories. Follow the link to explore how hospitals are integrating music into treatment and what that might mean for expanding compassionate, person-centered care.
Nurse Rod Salaysay works with all kinds of instruments in the hospital: a thermometer, a stethoscope and sometimes his guitar and ukulele. In the recovery unit of UC San Diego Health, Salaysay helps patients manage pain after surgery. Along with medications, he offers tunes…