Through the Harping in the Hospital Outreach Program, partnering with local health-care facilities and hospitals, we serve hundreds of patients, residents, and families in the Richmond region.
In addition to the obvious qualitative benefits, the program is designed to measure the quantitative impact of live harp music on health and well-being. Past studies have included the measurement of pain reduction, post-op recovery time, sleep, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and the reduction of the effects of Sundowner's Syndrome in Alzheimer patients.
The AYHE is on the forefront of the national Harp Therapy movement with director Lynnelle Ediger having been an early founder in 1999 and twice hosting the International Harp Therapy Conference. However, use of the harp as a therapeutic instrument is not a new concept, the harp has traditionally been used as an instrument of healing across cultures and millennium. The earliest example of the harp being used as a therapeutic instrument is depicted in cave drawings in France dating to 30,000 B.C.
As patients and health care providers turn to holistic approaches to health and well-being, the harp is a natural fit due to the timber (sound) and vibration. Harps may now be found in numerous health-care settings from the ICU, to Hospice and even in the Operating Room! Patients, family and staff alike benefit from the stress relieving power of the harp.
Participating Hospitals:
- Bon Secours Richmond Health Systems, specifically St. Mary's, Memorial Regional and St. Francis with 9 hours of harp music provided weekly
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MCV VCU Massey Cancer Center, Dalton Clinic