Northern Montana Care Center wins innovation award

Press release

Northern Montana Care Center is one of two nursing homes in the nation to offer portable vibroacoustic harp therapy for their residents.

The use of this innovative therapy has earned the care center the 2015 Montana Health Care Association Innovative Care Award.

Vibroacoustic harp therapy is performed by delivering amplified live harp music through a sound table, chair or pad, the same device as is used for vibroacoustic therapy using recorded frequencies.

Havre musician Mary Stevens has volunteered at Northern Montana Care Center for several years offering therapeutic harp, piano and guitar music for hospice and room-bound residents. She said she soon realized the benefits that the residents received through listening to the music. Stevens researched a new form of therapy using the combination of harp music along with a sort of vibrotactile device.

Most practitioners used either a recliner or lounge chair, but Stevens knew her method would have to be portable to allow for the use in patient rooms.

Through much research Stevens developed a therapy system that is truly portable. It uses small transducer speakers embedded in small pillows that are placed under or next to a resident's body while the resident either sits on their own recliner or lies on their own bed.

The entire system fits into two bags that Stevens carries from room to room along with her harp, which is on a small wheeled cart. She named her sessions, "Heart Strings."

Vibroacoustic harp therapy is a nonpharmacological approach to treating pain, stress and anxiety, and has virtually no side-effects.

The level of receptivity of the resident can affect the outcome of the sessions, but most residents report a significant reduction of symptoms within the first 15 minutes of the sessions.

"Vibroacoustic harp therapy has affected how we plan for pain management. 'Heart Strings' has given us a wonderful resource for our continual search to combine quality of care and quality of life." said Registered Nurse Alice Chambers, the resident care director at Northern Montana Care Center.

The Innovative Care Award is given out by the Montana Health Care Association, a nonprofit, member-driven, professional association serving Montana's long term care facilities.