Sinatra and Beatles songs among most popular for terminally ill’s final moments

Frank Sinatra’s My Way and The Beatles’ Hey Jude are among the astir fashionable songs chosen by terminally sick radical to travel them successful their last moments, probe has suggested.

Marie Curie said it had compiled what it described arsenic the archetypal playlist curated by radical astatine the extremity of life, by polling bereaved relatives connected the subject.

Other songs cited by the 1,000 UK adults whose loved 1 had experienced end-of-life attraction included Over The Rainbow by Judy Garland, portion Whitney Houston’s mentation of I Will Always Love You besides appeared connected the list.

Marie Curie said euphony tin play a “vital relation successful end-of-life attraction for many”, with 84% of those polled agreeing that euphony relaxed and calmed their loved ones, and six successful 10 (61%) saying it had helped easiness anxiousness and affectional distress.

Other benefits included creating a shared acquisition that brought them closer, the instauration of a consciousness of normalcy and helping to distract the dying idiosyncratic from carnal symptoms of their illness.

Music therapy adept and honorary Marie Curie elder probe chap astatine Queen’s University Belfast Dr Tracey McConnell said: “Terminal illness, symptom and the fearfulness of dying tin effect successful feelings of powerlessness and isolation, adjacent with adjacent household and friends.

“Music therapy tin assistance radical explicit their feelings and marque them consciousness better, immoderate their wellness oregon affectional situation.”

The foundation released the playlist of the astir fashionable songs arsenic it published a abstracted study connected people’s priorities for however they would similar to acquisition their last months, weeks and days.

Marie Curie said the immense bulk (83%) of the 10,500 adults polled for its Public attitudes to death, dying and bereavement successful the UK Revisited (PaddUK) study felt prime of beingness was much important than magnitude of beingness erstwhile earnestly ill.

The end-of-life attraction foundation said radical stated their wishes to beryllium escaped of symptom successful the past days of their lives (38%) and much than fractional (56%) said they would similar to dice astatine home.

The foundation said people’s hopes often disagree from the “stark reality”, pointing to probe it published past period which recovered a 3rd of dying radical successful England and Wales were severely oregon overwhelmingly affected by symptom successful the past week of life.

Marie Curie caregiver Jan Palmer, based successful Cardiff and the Vale, said the probe shows “what’s astir important to dying people”.

She said: “It’s surely nary astonishment that prime of beingness is cardinal – with being escaped of pain, being capable to support dignity and aforesaid respect, and being surrounded by loved ones topping the list.

“This rings existent with what my colleagues and I perceive each time from the radical we support, whether that’s successful the hospice, successful people’s ain homes oregon connected the enactment line.

“What is profoundly concerning is however often these basal needs aren’t met. Everyone deserves the champion imaginable palliative and extremity of life, nary substance who they are and wherever they live.”

The apical 10 songs were:– My Way – Frank Sinatra– I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston– (Simply) The Best – Tina Turner– Over The Rainbow – Judy Garland– Girls Just Want to Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper– Angels – Robbie Williams– What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong– Beautiful – Christina Aguilera– Hey Jude – The Beatles– These Are The Days Of Our Lives – Queen