Vinyl therapy brings comfort to Dell Seton patients with music and memories

AUSTIN, Texas — At Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas, palliative care physician Dr. Tyler Jorgensen rolls a record player on a cart into patients’ rooms, along with an ever‑growing library of vinyl records. 

The bedside music program, called ATX‑VINyL, is designed for patients facing serious or terminal diagnoses, from metastatic cancer to advancing dementia and Parkinson’s disease. 

In palliative medicine, Jorgensen describes his team as an “extra layer of support” that focuses on a patient’s values, stories and goals while managing symptoms and navigating difficult treatment decisions.

Jorgensen spent about a decade practicing emergency medicine in Austin trauma centers before training in hospice and palliative medicine at Dell Medical School. He said the switch meant moving from one of the fastest‑paced areas of medicine to one of the slowest, where he now spends more time sitting with patients, learning who they are beyond their diagnoses and helping them weigh the pros and cons of treatments for whatever time they may have left.

The idea for ATX‑VINyL grew out of both Jorgensen’s lifelong love of music and a moment with a patient he struggled to connect with during his palliative care training. He recalls asking that patient if he wanted to listen to a song together, cueing up “The Boys Are Back in Town” by Thin Lizzy, and watching the man open up about his life, his illnesses and his challenges after they listened. That encounter convinced him that music was an underused tool in hospital care. He later realized that bringing in a record player -not just streaming music from a phone- could be “transportive” for patients who grew up with vinyl and hadn’t seen a turntable in years.

ATX‑VINyL, short for “Audio Therapy eXperience‑Vinyl for Inpatients Near the end of Life,” is intentionally analog in an increasingly digital hospital environment. Volunteers wheel a turntable and records into rooms after asking patients what kind of music brings them joy, with classic country, 1970s rock, soul, jazz or Spanish‑language ballads among the current options. 

Jorgensen says part of the power of vinyl is tactile: patients and families handle the records, study the album art and physically flip the sides, which slows the pace of the day and shifts attention away from monitors and machines.

Once a volunteer sets up the player and directs families on how to use it, the cart stays behind and the room is theirs. People often play albums like Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours,” among others by artists like Etta James, Al Green, classic Willie Nelson or the Mexican balladeer José José. Patients often reminisce — “Remember when we used to listen to this,” or “Mom always loved this song” — as they listen with their families. 

Jorgensen says the reactions vary: sometimes toe‑tapping and smiles, sometimes deep relaxation and other times tears that can be just as important as laughter. He describes the effect as gathering around a campfire, with music creating a shared memory amid a long hospital stay and bringing “A little bit of levity, a little bit of joy and happiness into an otherwise scary, intimidating time.”

The program’s collection currently includes roughly 60 records spanning genres, and Jorgensen says some albums are clear favorites among patients and families. This includes Etta James, Al Green, Fleetwood Mac and classic country staples. 

ATX‑VINyL started as an occasional offering whenever the palliative care team could find the time, but it expanded in late 2022 after Dell Seton’s volunteer program helped recruit and organize a “vinyl volunteer” crew. Those volunteers now run about a dozen shifts each week, typically seeing about two patients per shift, meaning a couple dozen people every week are getting bedside music.

Jorgensen points to research showing that music can reduce pain and anxiety and improve emotional functioning for patients and caregivers, but he also leans on what he hears from families at the bedside. 

For clinicians, Jorgensen says, programs like this are a reminder that “There’s a human inside each patient,” and that leaning into music, art and other creative expressions can help prevent burnout and keep the focus on caring for people, not just fixing problems.

Now, an Austin record store is helping keep the music playing. Waterloo Records is hosting a vinyl drive for ATX‑VINyL called “Spin it Forward” through March 1, giving Austinites a way to donate records for the initiative. 

Each qualifying vinyl donation earns shoppers 10% off at Waterloo, and those who donate three records receive the discount plus entry into a raffle for a top‑of‑the‑line Crosley STAVE turntable and vinyl bundle.