Complementary treatments can help people maintain both physical and mental wellness at any age, especially for those undergoing hospice care. They can bring a lot of benefits to the patients, as well as their families, that can make all their lives easier.
The therapies that hospice care facilities provide can assist them in a variety of ways, including easing certain symptoms, boosting their mood, and helping them relax.
If you have a friend or family member who could benefit from these therapies, here are some examples to help you pick the best option for them.
Touch Therapy
Manual manipulation of the body’s soft tissue, such as muscles, connective tissue, tendons, and joints, may be used to improve a person’s health and wellness. These treatments can include anything from a basic head massage to body acupressure. The therapy that is chosen will always be what is deemed appropriate for the patient.
Massage may appeal to hospice patients because it usually results in alleviating certain symptoms and a feeling of general tranquility during end-of-life care. Touch therapy can help with relaxation, pain relief, comfort, and sensations of serenity, as well as reduced muscular tension, better sleep, and reduced stress.
Music Therapy
Music therapy is not simply about playing a random song and asking a patient to listen to it. It entails a board-certified music therapist using music intervention in a clinical and evidence-based manner. Sound, you see, has a significant impact on our physical and emotional well-being, particularly on our heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing.
Overall, music is incredibly beneficial to one’s health. Live music can aid hospice patients in a variety of ways including reducing anxiety, inducing sleep, increasing relaxation, distracting from harmful behaviors, and reducing pain awareness. It can also assist with maintaining a sense of self, spiritual and existential issues, bringing familiar and pleasant sensations, reaching individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other kinds of dementia, and providing a communication channel.
Aromatherapy
With hospice patients, essential oils have a variety of impacts on the body, mind, and spirit. It can help them recall happy memories and lead to a favorable psychological reaction since the sense of smell is linked to memory and emotions. When aromatherapy oils are used on people who are upset and unable to articulate themselves, they can become relaxed and comfortable. Aromatherapy can also aid in the management of pain, tension, and anxiety. Simply inhaling a specific scent might transport a patient back to happy memories from their past.
Pet Therapy
A supervised encounter between a patient and a trained animal (and its handler) is known as pet therapy. This type of therapy aims to assist a patient cope with health difficulties by leveraging the intrinsic enjoyment in human-animal relationships. In addition to the joy that comes with pet contact, it can also provide specific advantages to hospice patients, such as reducing loneliness, lowering blood pressure, reducing worry and tension, and improving their mood.
Conclusion
Complementary treatments target the complete person, not just their symptoms, and help people stay alive when they are sick. These therapies are proven to alleviate aches and pains and provide time and space to contemplate and relax in the safety of their own home.
If your loved one is presently receiving hospice care, these complementary treatments will undoubtedly aid them in coping with their illness and improving their comfort while receiving the care they require.
If you are looking for a dependable and committed hospice in the greater Denver or Phoenix area, Gateway Home Health and Hospice offers the highest quality home-based patient care in an atmosphere of respect for human dignity. Our highly trained clinicians and therapists strive to exceed the expectations of our patients, families, caregivers, and physicians. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our services!