Nurses’ musical voices give comfort in midst of pandemic

In this May 22, 2020, photo, nurse Megan Palmer, left, and care partner Anna Henderson, who both work at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, appear during a songwriting session at Henderson's home in Ashland City, Tenn. During the COVID-19 pandemic, their role as caregivers has become even more important as hospital visits from family and friends were limited or prohibited to prevent the spread of the virus. Music and songwriting has helped them express the complexity of emotions that comes with caregiving, especially in the time of a pandemic. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) In this May 22, 2020, photo, nurse Megan Palmer, left, and care partner Anna Henderson, who both work at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, appear during a songwriting session at Henderson's home in Ashland City, Tenn. During the COVID-19 pandemic, their role as caregivers has become even more important as hospital visits from family and friends were limited or prohibited to prevent the spread of the virus. Music and songwriting has helped them express the complexity of emotions that comes with caregiving, especially in the time of a pandemic. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

By KRISTIN M. HALL / AP Entertainment Writer June 12, 2020 3 min read

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Providing palliative care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center can be taxing for nurses trying to extend and improve the lives of seriously ill patients, especially amid the pandemic. Sometimes a song helps.

Anna Henderson, one of the unit’s care partners, recalled a patient’s reaction when she started singing for him. “He just started weeping, just breaking down, crying from his heart, crying from his gut.

“It was all I could do to keep singing, but I did. But, you know, it’s times like that music and this job just go hand in hand.”

Nurse and singer-songwriter Megan Palmer said the nurses use music and their voices to calm and comfort people, even something as simple as singing “Happy Birthday.”

They’re going beyond just familiar tunes. In conjunction with House of Songs, a songwriters’ collaborative nonprofit, Palmer gathered some of the medical staff on the unit to co-write songs when they weren’t working their 12-hour shifts. Since they worked together on the same unit, Palmer said she’s basically already been quarantining with her co-workers anyway.