Recent grad seeks unique path in music therapy for older adults

Because she knew her daughter loved music and psychology, Brooke Sullivan's mother suggested she consider music therapy as a potential career. After one job shadow, the high school senior looked at her mother and said, “That’s what I’m going to do the rest of my life!”

Sullivan, B.S. '25, has always been fascinated by working with older adults, particularly those living in retirement communities, but she didn’t know how to get a career working with them until she attended Purdue University Fort Wayne to study music therapy. Along the line, Sullivan met Nancy Jackson, program director; Peggy Farlow, senior lecturer; and Eileen Garwood, clinical associate professor. Including classes, these faculty members helped her find practicums working with the elderly—essentially creating a new field of study.

“And the thing I really appreciated, especially with Peggy, was her saying, `This is going to be very hard,’” Sullivan said. “They didn’t know if there would be a job for me when I finished college. That made me work even harder.”

The instructors knew there were no full-time positions in Indiana’s continuing care retirement communities. That’s something Sullivan also concluded after calling nearly every one of them during her internship.

But those obstacles have not been a deterrent, as she is trying to build her own career, recently celebrating one year as an activities assistant for Lutheran Life Villages at the Village at Inverness.

Sullivan said 90% of her days consist of singing to engage the seniors and make their days better. Sometimes she’ll hand out bells so they can join in with her guitar playing. She brings the energy with her, and the residents respond during her 30-minute sessions.

“When functional movement and exercises are combined with music therapy under Brooke’s guidance, we consistently see greater participation and engagement,” said Laura Simerman, life enrichment director for Lutheran Life Villages at Inverness. “Her joyful, rhythm-based approach not only motivates residents to move, but sustains their interest in ways traditional exercise does not. This leads to noticeable improvements in range of motion and helps slow the pace of physical decline—an incredible testament to the power of combining therapeutic intention with creativity and care.”

Besides the interactions in the moment, there are therapeutic advantages for the patients. During her first three months, Sullivan collected data that showed a 30% improvement in client engagement, which can be monumental for people confined to wheelchairs or those who are used to limited interactions. Sullivan said she makes around 80 presentations each month, mostly with memory care residents.

“The thing is, there is such a growing population with dementia and similar issues,” Sullivan said. “It’s so important to be able to use music to communicate with those who sometimes no longer have the use of their own language. Even that engagement is so much better than no engagement at all.

“This provides sensory stimulation and ensures they are getting attention so they don’t fall into social isolation.”
Sullivan said this mission of helping enhance people’s quality of life fills her cup, and she never wants to leave the building. She loves it, saying each day she gets to work with her friends. She works to elicit engagement and responses, but not for entertainment purposes.  

“Sometimes it’s so hard for families to see and recognize who that person is now,” Sullivan said. “I only see the person for who they are now. I meet them where they are at because that’s the least I can do for them. They often don’t know what is going on. The least I can do is provide safety and comfort and a little bit of joy in their day.”

Sullivan would like to develop a successful evidence-based program that can be translated in other venues by music therapists. If she can prove the worth and effectiveness of her ideas, the other issues will resolve themselves, all the while fulfilling her greatest passion of enhancing the lives of older adults.

Click here to learn more about the music therapy program at PFW.