I recently visited a friend who is in hospice care after a long battle with cancer. Upon arrival, I found him to be frightened (Why was I visiting today?) and a little confused (Why was everyone visiting today? — the volunteer told me he had no visitors that day). We chatted a bit, I asked about his pain and shared a bit of what was going on in my life. At one point during our visit, I gave his arm a gentle squeeze. At my touch his face softened and the hint of a smile emerged.
This further engrained in me the importance of human touch. A 2009 study showed that human touch in palliative care patients gave “meaning” and “generated feelings of an inner respite.”1 Because human touch has been shown to be a priority in end-of-life situations2, the important role of massage therapy in the hospice setting is clear.
I look forward to seeing my friend again very soon and to seeing that smile again.
1Cronfalk, B.S. et. al. (2009) The existential experiences of receiving soft tissue massage in palliative home care–an intervention. Supportive Care in Cancer, 17(9):1203-11.
2Downey, L. et. al. (2009) Shared priorities for the end-of-life period. The Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 37(2):175-88.
