My Heart Will Go On: Caregiver Experiences of a Legacy Intervention in Acute Palliative Care.

BACKGROUND

The Heartbeat Project (HBP) is a music therapist-led legacy intervention that incorporates patients' heartbeat recordings into personalized audio keepsakes. While anecdotally described as meaningful, few studies have explored caregiver outcomes after participation.

OBJECTIVE

To describe implementation characteristics and caregiver-reported outcomes of the HBP to understand caregiver perceptions and inform best practices in palliative care.

DESIGN

This mixed-methods study documented song genre preferences at implementation. A 16-item survey assessed caregiver engagement, satisfaction, and perceived emotional impact. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were applied to survey responses and qualitative feedback.

SETTING/SUBJECTS: Patients receiving palliative care (n = 81) and caregivers (n = 29) were recruited from the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Palliative and Comfort Care Unit.

RESULTS

Of 81 bereaved caregivers, 30 responded (36.7%), including both adult and pediatric caregivers. Most reported being very satisfied and described the keepsake as comforting, meaningful, and helpful during grief. Ratings for "comfort," "helpfulness," and "meaningfulness" were consistently high (mean scores: 9.14-9.96/10). Qualitative themes included emotional resonance, legacy preservation, and appreciation for personalized care.

CONCLUSION

The HBP was highly acceptable to caregivers and perceived as emotionally supportive. Findings suggest that legacy-based music therapy interventions may enhance grief coping across diverse palliative care settings.