THE HOSPICE HARPIST. Sarah Ohr, musician and music therapist, has been supporting individuals at St. Croix Hospice for more than two years.

Little. Asian. Harpist. These are three words Sarah Ohr, music therapist at St. Croix Hospice in Eau Claire, uses to describe herself. Sarah is indeed petite. She appears even more so when seated next to her large harp. Yet, the sounds she plucks on her harp strings are colossal, sky-high, and heavenly.

Dubbed the "hospice harpist," Sarah is a harpist and more. Music has been part of her life since a child growing up in Green Bay, where her parents adopted Sarah and her adopted brother Steve separately from South Korea. Her first love was the piano, and she set her heart on becoming a concert pianist. At her mom’s request, Sarah also learned to play ensemble instruments as well: oboe, bassoon, and viola. After her first year at Beloit College, where she studied piano performance, she transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to fulfill general coursework, and ultimately transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where she learned to play the harp proficiently and earned a bachelor’s degree in music therapy in December 2011.

“Harp and piano are my musical loves,” Sarah noted in an interview. “They found me — piano as a child, and harp in college.”

Two events, which both occurred in early April 2018, served as life-changing catalysts for Sarah: her brother, Steve, was murdered in Chicago, and Sarah received a cancer diagnosis that would require major surgery. “Within a week of both happening, I was on stage with my harp for open mic night at the Stone’s Throw," she recalled. "Prior, I was afraid. I imagined playing the harp and being booed off the stage. Instead, I experienced applause and cheers.”

Music can be so powerful, so we believe it's important to offer this service to our patients to provide joy, peace, and relaxation. –Mandy Cogswell, chief clinical officer of St. Croix Hospice

The experience drove her to continue performing. She promoted her music “as the perfect accompaniment to weddings, parties, birthdays, and other unique gatherings.” She started performing solo with one of her two harps — medium and large — including live at Phoenix Park at the Volume One Sounds Like Summer Concert Series in 2022. She created the Sarah Ohr Trio: harp, trumpeter and drummer, which performed in the Spirit Room at the Mabel Tainter Theater in 2022.

Sarah also started to connect with senior citizens through her music. “My purpose for playing for seniors is to connect,” she shared. “Connect them to music they love, connect them to songs they sang to their loved ones, connect them to their faith. Hopefully, I create a space for healing, love, tears, and laughter.”

On Jan. 1, 2022, BeeHive Homes of Eau Claire posted on its YouTube page: “Harpist Sarah Ohr and our lovely impromptu singer had us all feeling love and light on the last day of 2021.” 

By July 2023, Sarah had earned her license in music therapy from the State of Wisconsin, and the following month, St. Croix Hospice hired her as a music therapist. She also purchased a third harp — a small one — for the purposes of her new job.

According to the National Institute on Aging, “Palliative care and hospice care both focus on the comfort, care, and quality of life of individuals with serious illness … Hospice care is provided for a person with a terminal illness whose doctor believes he or she has six months or less to live if the illness runs its natural course … At some point, it may not be possible to cure a serious illness, or a patient may choose not to undergo certain treatments. Hospice is designed for this situation.”

Mandy Cogswell, chief clinical officer of St. Croix Hospice, summed up the importance of music therapy in an email: "Our goal with all complementary hospice therapies, including music therapy, is to support the patient's emotional and spiritual needs,” she wrote. “Music can be so powerful, so we believe it's important to offer this service to our patients to provide joy, peace, and relaxation."

According to Sarah, there is a perception that a patient can request her to entertain them. In reality, in order for Sarah to offer support to a patient, medical necessity must be present.

“First, I need to be called in as part of the care team, which consists of the head nurse, a health aide, a social worker, a dietician, a physical therapist or a massage therapist, and a chaplain,” she explained. “Next, I meet with the patient or the patient’s family to conduct an assessment. In super simple terms: is there social isolation, depression, anxiety, pain management, or a neurological reason, by which music can fulfill a need?

"Once medical necessity is determined, then I create a program including the patient’s musical preferences, which can be country music, or hymns, or popular music.”  

Sarah is currently providing music therapy for about 35 patients. “I’ve learned to hold a space for each of my patients — caring for them and their well-being," she shared. “And after they have passed away, I let them go, so I can create space to connect with a new patient.”

Learn more about and keep up with Sarah Ohr on Facebook and Instagram • Find more information about St. Croix Hospice (1280 W. Clairemont Ave., #4, Eau Claire) at stcroixhospice.com