Complementary Therapies

Complementary Therapies

Complementary Therapies The term “complementary therapy” describes a wide range of therapies aimed at enhancing wellness and relaxation through mind/body techniques or touch therapy. The complementary therapies offered by the hospice are not curative treatments and are not an alternative to conventional medical practices. Rather, they complement the current care that the client is receiving and are meant to be gentle and relaxing for the mind, body, and soul. Therapies are offered in the Residence for those who are living in the Hospice Residence at the end-of-life, and to their family members.

The following therapies are offered by trained volunteers:

  • Reiki – A Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by “laying on hands” and is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. A treatment feels like a wonderful flowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and well being.
  • Massage – Registered massage therapists provide relaxation massage by using Swedish techniques consisting of long smooth rhythmic strokes and small circular movements which provide stress relief, improved circulation, decreased muscle/joint pain and provide an overall sense of well being.
  • Therapeutic Touch – Therapeutic Touch is a holistic, evidence-based therapy that incorporates the intentional and compassionate use of universal energy to promote balance and well-being. Therapeutic Touch practitioners are educated to modify a person’s energy field when disease or illness obstructs or depletes their flow of energy. The treatment restores order and harmony to the client’s field. Based on the belief that the body can heal itself. Therapeutic Touch is a method of helping a person to mobilize their own natural healing abilities.
  • Reflexology – Reflexology therapy is a natural therapeutic method derived from the study of the reflexes and based on the principle that there are reflexes in the body that map to other parts, glands, and organs of the body. Through the application of pressure on these reflexes in either the hands or feet, this therapy can relieve tension, provide relaxation, improve circulation and support the body’s efforts to function optimally.