A Harry Potter reference was bound to occur at some point throughout this internship! The Latin phrase "draco dormiens nunquam titillandus," the Hogwarts motto, literally translates as "never tickle a sleeping dragon," but the more commonly heard translation is "let sleeping dragons lie." I was reminded of this saying today when I went to visit one of my patients in a skilled nursing facility (SNF). When I got to her room, she was asleep, so I was forced to decide whether or not I should wake her up for music therapy. This tends to happen quite often especially with patients who reside in SNFs. What I've learned from my supervisors is to consider the patient and their goals, objectives, and reasons for receiving music therapy in the first place. For someone with Alzheimer's whose goals are increased sensory stimulation and/or improved communication, it might benefit that person to wake up and participate in a short music therapy session. There are some patients however, that I've learned to just let lie as the saying goes. Patients that I would typically not wake up for music therapy include those who are extremely anxious or whose care plans include agitation. There is one patient with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease who often exhibits many symptoms of PTSD. This man is a World War Two veteran and was also a prisoner of war during that time. He believes that his roommate in the SNF is his cellmate and frequently makes references to pistols and bombs. During one session with this patient, he spilled crumbs on the SNF floor and began yelling "THEY'RE GOING TO REPORT MY GI NUMBER.. THEY'RE GOING TO REPORT MY GI NUMBER!" One morning, I was at the SNF with my supervisor and this man was sound asleep in his bed, looking the most relaxed I had ever seen him. My supervisor's decision to let him sleep on that day taught me a lot about assessing the patient's needs in the moment and determining an outcome that is ultimately going to be the most beneficial for them.
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