'I'll be back in a couple of days,' said Peter Roberts, as if he thought now wasn't quite the right time. And sure enough, he was back the morning of the day Kate's nan died.
The healing powers of music have been a source of wonder for centuries. Music is a non-invasive method of influencing heart rate, breathing quality and physical pain.
Peter Roberts is Australia's only music-thanatologist—the Geelong-based musician utilises harp, voice and silence to comfort people through life's most difficult moments.
While Music Therapists are often seen in hospitals playing a familiar tune or piece of music, Roberts utilises a more prescriptive process to bridge the gap between life and death.
'The whole point of it is to lead people into a comfortable container of silence. It's wonderful to have something of value to offer when nothing else can be done, and when the doctors can do no more,' he says.
Seen formally as a subspecialty of palliative care, music-thanatology is perhaps better known in the United States, where the unique method is used to serve the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of patients and their families.
'At some stage we are all going to die, and it's a privilege in many ways to be able to be in a room and comfort that person who is letting go of their life,' says Roberts.
Before starting in his current line of work, Roberts ran a successful furniture and interior design business for many years, but felt that something was missing in his life. By chance, he stumbled on an advertisement for a highly specialised and difficult music-thanatology course in the United States.
With an intuitive hunch that things might work out, Roberts jumped at the opportunity, despite not being able to play the harp.
Packing up his family, his business and his whole life, Roberts trained for two and a half years at a school based at a Montana hospital.
On his return, Roberts realised that the skills and experiences he had obtained in the USA had broader applications, and set about playing not only for people facing life-threatening illnesses, but also for premature babies and people coping with difficult medical procedures and personal issues.
Now part of the pastoral care team at the St John of God Hospital in Geelong, Roberts says music can have a profound effect on people at any stage of life.
'The healing powers of music have been a source of wonder for centuries. Music is a non-invasive method of influencing heart rate, breathing quality and physical pain,' he says.
'An essential component to this offering involves bringing an attitude of compassion and an attentive presence that is expressed through music. This may sound a bit mushy to some, but is nonetheless very real.'
In particular, Roberts takes great joy in playing for premature babies and is highly respected in the community for his work.
It just goes to show: sometimes you've just got to follow a hunch.
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