Winchester, Va., Jan. 31, 2024—Blue Ridge Hospice Music Therapist Leigh Jenks, MMT, MT-BC, has been selected by the prestigious trade publication Hospice News as a member of the Frontline Honors Class of 2023 in the Hospice & Palliative Care category.
Aging Media Network describes a Frontline Honoree as: “A dedicated, high-performing frontline worker who delivers exceptional experiences and outcomes, a passionate worker who knows how to put their vision into action for the good of older adults and aging industry professionals, an advocate for older adults, their industry and their peers.”
“At Blue Ridge Hospice, music therapy long has been an integral component of the care provided to patients and families,” said President and CEO Jason Parsons. “And that’s all thanks to Leigh Jenks, who established the music therapy program for Blue Ridge Hospice nearly 21 years ago.”
As a music therapy student in the highly regarded music therapy program at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Jenks had the opportunity to meet some of her training requirements by working with Blue Ridge Hospice caregivers and patients and families. When she graduated in 2002, she proposed establishing a formal music therapy program at Blue Ridge Hospice—at a time when few hospices in the nation employed full-time music therapists.
Jenks’ supervisor, Susana Calley, LCSW, Patient and Family Support Services Manager, said, “Everything Leigh does as a music therapist supports the Blue Ridge Hospice mission of brightening life’s journey with quality and compassionate care for all whom we are privileged to serve. Her work brings joy, comfort, and often closure to both patients and families. The hospice caregiver teams know and appreciate that Leigh’s work lightens their burden whether that means boosting a patient’s emotional well-being, lessening a patient’s pain and other symptoms, or providing a new, lasting memory for patients to share with their loved ones.”
“What’s perhaps most rewarding about being named to the Hospice News Frontline Honors Class of 2023 is the publication’s recognition that music therapists are a vital part of the patient care team alongside nurses, certified nursing assistants, social workers, chaplains, physicians, nurse practitioners, and volunteers,” Jenks said. “This honor is also a tribute to our partners at Shenandoah University. Three of my four colleagues on the music therapy team here at Blue Ridge Hospice are Shenandoah University graduates and we’ve been privileged to work with so many wonderfully gifted students from Shenandoah University over the years.”
Writing in support of Jenks’ nomination, Blue Ridge Hospice Founder Helen Zebarth commented: “The Blue Ridge Hospice Music Therapy program that Leigh Jenks has built over the past 20+ years has had a demonstrable impact on the quality of care provided at the bedside—Blue Ridge Hospice consistently ranks first in Virginia in the family satisfaction scores released by Medicare. The Music Therapy program helps inspire Blue Ridge Hospice’s own caregivers—they see the benefit patients and their loved ones receive and they themselves become more adept at handling and processing their own stresses thanks to the support of the music therapists who work with their team.”
“Leigh Jenks has been the innovator, advocate, and hands-on practitioner behind the many successes of the Blue Ridge Hospice Music Therapy program. She exemplifies what it means to be on the front lines of hospice care,” Parsons concluded.
This is the second time in a year that Blue Ridge Hospice has been recognized by Hospice News. The publication named Parsons a Hospice & Palliative Care Future Leader in 2023.
About Blue Ridge Hospice
Blue Ridge Hospice is a community-based, not-for-profit serious illness and end-of-life care provider that has been serving friends and neighbors across the northern Shenandoah Valley and northwestern Virginia since 1981. With a mission of “brightening life’s journey with quality and compassionate care for all whom we are privileged to serve,” Blue Ridge Hospice serves the counties of Frederick, Clarke, Fauquier, Loudoun, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, and Warren. Accredited by The Joint Commission, Blue Ridge Hospice consistently exceeds the national averages for quality as reported on Medicare’s Hospice Compare website. To learn more about Blue Ridge Hospice call 540-313-9200.
About Hospice News
Hospice News is an independent source for breaking news and up-to-date information on the hospice sector. Hospice News publishes daily through a website, daily emails, and a syndicated RSS feed. Hospice News is owned and operated by Chicago-based Aging Media Network. A WTWH Media Company, Aging Media Network is a publishing company that covers business, trends, and news for the aging population.
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