Ep. 41: Sarah Maxwell on what the dying teach us about living

As a music therapist, Sarah Maxwell comforts the sick and dying. She shares what the dying have taught her about how to live, love and comfort yourself.

Sarah grew up in a chaotic home of addiction and mood disorders. She overcame an eating disorder at age 18 and turned to music to comfort herself and others, especially those in hospice care. Sarah has provided music therapy to adolescents, adults, geriatric psychiatric patients and those with Alzheimer's and autism.

She offers tips on how to repair a relationship before it’s too late, how to find the right song to soothe yourself and others and how to pack more living into your life while you’re still alive.

Sarah also shares what it was like to give the gift of life, as she donated a kidney to her uncle this year.

Tips & Takeaways:

  • Even for those at the end stage of life, there is still so much living to do and healing to be done.

  • No dying person regrets not spending more time at work or wishes their house was cleaner.

  • At the end of it all, relationships and love matter most.

  • The greatest thing you can give another person is your presence.

Bio:

Sarah Maxwell is a board-certified music therapist. Sarah has her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Music Therapy. She has trained extensively in the Medical Music Therapy and Music Psychotherapy Models. Her clinical expertise ranges across the lifespan. Sarah's primarily clinical focus is hospice, bereavement, Alzheimer’s, mood disorders and wellness. She is Adjunct Faculty in a music therapy college program. Besides music therapy, Sarah is passionate about anti-racism, disability advocacy, increasing quality-of-life at the end of life, kindness, right speech and animal rights.  

Website and Links:

In the Music Therapy inthemusictherapy@gmail.com

 

Regina Brett