Utilizing Massage And Physical Therapy To Benefit Those In Hospice

One of the most important things we can do to another human is touch them. Of course, boundaries are important, and the touches have to be welcomed. But to residents of Cedar Rapids and elsewhere, including hospice care touches are something that are useful and can center us physically and emotionally.

The staff at Above and Beyond Home Health Care and Hospice are familiar with the power of touch, including medical research that shows there’s really something there, rather than just a “nice thought.”

All sorts of studies have been done on the positive effects of touch on humans, as well as the negative effects if people don’t get enough touching. This also goes beyond humans – mammals especially seem to crave some degree of touching.

When someone is touched, they often increase the production of ‘positive’ hormones such as oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine. These all increase good feelings in the brain. Touching also can reduce more ‘negative’ hormones such as cortisol, which increases when someone is stressed or anxious.

Touching also stimulates various bodily functions, including improving circulation, and lowering blood pressure and overall heart rate. This is partly physical – the pressure from a touch stimulates points in the body which send back sensations to the body and engages the nervous system.

Not being touched for prolonged periods of time can cause a condition known as touched-starved. This can lead to loneliness, a lowered immune system, and a higher rate of depression. Medical authorities are seeing this more in the last decade in not just seniors who may be isolated, but young people who are more focused on electronic interactions than real-life interactions.

Yes, they may be social with their friends or gaming partners, but they may miss out on touching. Touching doesn’t have to be intimate either – it could be pats on the back, high fives, handshakes, or hugs.

Of course, the recent COVID pandemic cut down on just about everyone’s willingness to touch and be touched. Although family members and close friends still may give each other hugs or pats, there was less physical contact with others, and some of that behavior seems to have remained.

Helpful touching

Caregivers and home health professionals, especially in hospice situations, are conscious about encouraging their clients to find ways to touch and be touched, which can help their overall mental and physical health.

Of course, there are challenges if someone lives alone, doesn’t go out much, or has friends or family around. And even if they want to do some of these social activities and seek out people, there may be some health limitations that keep them from doing this regularly, such as mobility problems or inability to drive.

But there are still a variety of solutions that provide touch plus other ways to help the mind and body, no matter someone’s health.

This includes massage therapy, which is one of the services that can be provided through home health. A massage therapist can come and provide a therapeutic massage on a regular basis.

Massage has all sorts of benefits, starting with touch.

It helps loosen muscles that may have been tense or cramped. It stretches out limbs which can improve circulation. It helps someone relax overall, which can contribute to better sleep and better health.

A regularly scheduled massage can also help remove toxins from the body and can even improve mental abilities – better blood flow in the body and better pleasure hormones in the body can have all sorts of benefits.

Massage therapists have also received training in helping the different muscle groups that may cause seniors pain and tension. Different massages can be provided for different reasons – they can help people relax, focus on certain areas with higher pain points or past injuries, or even provide more energy and alertness.

Massage can also benefit other areas of your life, including lower blood pressure, headaches, general pain, and even digestive problems. People receiving hospice care may especially benefit due to physical weakness along with the stress of what’s next.

Clients also have access to another method of touch: physical therapy. Although massage focuses on muscles and connective tissue, physical therapy focuses more on improving the use of certain body parts, such as a limb that has been damaged.

Here, the goal is for the physical therapist to work with the client to strengthen muscles in or near an injured area. This will help improve its use and promote overall recovery.

For instance, physical therapy may be recommended after someone has surgery or a traumatic injury. It can reduce pain and the growth of scar tissue, improve the range of motion, and make people feel generally better.

Learn more

There are several opportunities in the fall to learn more about both types of therapies.

National Massage Therapy Awareness Week takes place Oct. 23-29 this year. For the past 26 years, the American Massage Therapy Association organizes this week to let more people know about the value of massage. It also provides tools for massage therapists to better educate their local communities.

October is also National Physical Therapy Month, an annual observance created by the American Physical Therapy Association. Since 1992, the association has spread the word about the value of physical therapy, including letting people know about the different career positions in the profession such as physical therapist and physical therapy assistant.