Music therapist helps seniors find connection and purpose in long-term care

Gwen Neo, a 26-year-old music therapist at Ren Ci Hospital in Singapore, uses music to support the emotional well-being and social connections of elderly patients.

She works within the hospital's psychosocial services department to help seniors express themselves, engage with others, and reach functional goals through tailored musical sessions. Neo prepares for each session by consulting with a care team of doctors, nurses, and medical social workers to understand a patient's specific needs.

She adapts her approach based on the individual, such as choosing familiar songs to encourage a patient to open up or modifying activities to suit a senior's physical abilities. For non-verbal or bed-bound patients, she monitors subtle physical cues like eye contact, facial expressions, or small finger movements to gauge their engagement with the music and their environment. The therapist also uses music to help patients navigate difficult emotions related to chronic illness.

For example, she provided a space for a resident with stiff-person syndrome to explore her identity and purpose rather than focusing on physical symptoms. Neo emphasizes that the goal of her work is not always to produce dramatic clinical outcomes, but to ensure that patients feel seen, heard, and empowered. Neo trained in the United Kingdom after graduating from the School of the Arts in Singapore.

She completed an undergraduate degree at Durham University followed by a two-year master's degree in music therapy at Anglia Ruskin University. Her training combined musical skills with studies in psychology, human development, and disability studies to help her understand the therapeutic process in a clinical setting.