MY MISSION

 

"Helping To Provide Dignity, Respect, and Comfort with the Conscious Intent of Human Touch For Optimal Well-Being, Quality Of Life and/or End of Life"

 Comfort Touch Massage and Reiki as part of a patient's palliative care team is specifically designed for a patient's pain management, emotional support and comfort in times of a life-limiting condition or illness.                                                                                                                                                                     It is my mission to provide this comfort, care, and support to those people and their family. 

♥ Comfort Touch Massage for the Medically Frail  or Cancer Patient

When a massage therapist works with a medically frail, terminally ill, cancer or an end-of-life patient, the work performed takes on a much different purpose when compared to a healthy client coming in for health maintenance purposes. Often the touch is much lighter and offered as much for psychological comfort as for easing physical pain. In many situations, the only touch they have received has been either cold and clinical or painful. Simply being there and holding a person’s hand, or gently rubbing his or her back can soothe anxiety, decrease pain and increase comfort, that is my main objective. 

Usually, a massage therapist will not be at the patient's home or hospital bedside for hours on end, but family members might. Often they feel frustrated and helpless just sitting there. Being able to feel at ease touching a loved one with healing intent which can go a long way in reducing the feelings of powerlessness in a life-altering situation.  I also teach the family how to be a blessing to someone they love with some Reiki instruction when I see a patient.

Being a part of a palliative team I get a thorough knowledge of condition and treatment plans from the other team members, knowing the type of medications being given and the potential for massage either increasing or reducing their effects and possible contraindication signs. This is true in palliative care situations where light Swedish massage might be given to someone receiving chemotherapy or in hospice care where even a more passive massage takes place.

Providing massage to very ill patients or to those who are in the last months or weeks of life is much different than massage for those who are healthy or even just suffering from life’s daily aches and pains. Compassion and patience are the main tools – with warm, healing hands coming in a close second. 

Thanks for visiting, I look forward to meeting and speaking with you. 

"Touch is good medicine" according to Dr. Abraham Verghese at a 2013 TED Talk, “The most important innovation in medicine to come in the next 10 years: the power of the human hand.