The following tips are adapted from Palliative Touch: Massage for People at the End of Life, available soon at https://us.singingdragon.com/products/palliative-touch-massage-for-people-at-the-end-of-life.
1.Warm your hands around a hot mug of tea, or insert hands briefly inside gloves with hand warmers (https://www.uline.com/BL_1198/Hand-and-Foot-Warmers).
2.Provide massage over the patient’s gown, clothing, or blanket until hands are warm. Working over cloth is easier using compressions or a magic massager cloth (https://www.massagesupplies.com/product/6514/).
3.Use an electric lunch kit to warm the lotion (https://hotlogic.com/products/hotlogic-mini). The mini hot logic can also be used to warm gloves if used in your practice. If you travel from patient to patient, a baby bottle warmer with USB is handy.(Sample here.)
4.In home environments with a clothes dryer, use the dryer to warm a blanket or hand towels. The hand towels can be used as a neck roll or to wrap the hands and/or feet. Warmed linen will hold heat longer if covered by an additional blanket.
5.Damp heat can be applied as a compress or simply to refresh the face or body. Place a washcloth under warm or hot running water, ring out excess moisture, and gently apply as desired. When damp applications are used, the patient’s clothing and linen can be kept dry with a disposable waterproof pad which are found in most care settings.
6.Electric blankets and heating pads are not ideal for use with people at the end of life due to risk of burns. If clients or families are using electric sources of heat, they should be cautioned not to use them for prolonged periods (even on low settings), or with people who have reduced level of arousal. Due to the risks involved, inpatient settings typically require a doctor’s order before allowing a patient to use a heating pad from home.
7.Heat should not be applied to areas of the body with inflammation, edema, risk of lymphedema, impaired sensory perception, atrophy, poor blood supply, DVT, or past exposure to radiation.
8.The skin should be monitored for redness during the session, and heat should be removed if redness occurs. Darker skin may not produce reddening, thus extra care should be taken when using heat on highly-pigmented skin.
9. For the short duration of a massage on a fully alert person, a homemade “rice sock” can be used. Place several handfuls of rice inside a tube sock and tie a knot at the open end. Warm the sock in a microwave for 20 seconds at a time, shaking the rice well to distribute the heat. Check the temperature by laying the sock on the inside of your arm before use with a patient. A few drops of essential oil can be placed on the rice sock if desired by the patient.
Homemade “Rice Sock”
10.A “glove buddy” filled with warm tap water shapes to the contours of the patient’s hand but can be placed anywhere on the body for relief. Use the largest size glove available and fill with water only to the top of the finger joints, leaving space to tie the knot.
Glove Buddy
Questions? Comments? Please reach out. We would love to hear from you.
