Last Wednesday afternoon, I received a phone call with the shocking news that a dear friend and colleague had died unexpectedly. He was out of town with his beloved wife when he collapsed on the stairs at a museum, dying instantly of a massive heart...
I arrive at the home at the scheduled time to provide massage for a cancer patient and his caregiver. Patient is resting so I begin by massaging the caregiver, his wife. We do the intake, start the music, put bergamot essential oil in her diffuser,...
It can be hard to know what to say, what to do, what to bring to the bedside of someone who is seriously ill. Here are some of the items that we’ve noticed our patients seem to appreciate and use. A nice night light for...
I recently entered a patient’s room just as he was drawing his last breath. This lovely man had been my patient for only two weeks. But it was clear that he was an extraordinary person, and I adored his sweet family as well. The nurse...
At the risk of embarrassing Gayle MacDonald, this post is all about her. And others like Gayle, whom we credit with making us the professionals we are today. Cindy says: Unbeknownst to her, Gayle became my mentor in 1999 when I stumbled upon the first...
Patients on palliative or hospice care all have a primary diagnosis. In hospice care, this is also known as the terminal diagnosis. The terminal diagnosis helps us to adjust our massage session in a manner such that the session is safe for the patient. For...
The Activity I recently had the opportunity to participate in a Virtual Dementia Tour. Here’s how it worked: I signed a waiver and walked into a dimly lit room. Upon entering I see several tables as in a conference-type room. Four were positioned for the...
By the time we meet many of our clients, they’ve lost a lot. They may have lost their hair, their muscle mass, their breasts, their jobs, their mobility, their independence, control of their bladders, control of their bowels, the ability to speak for themselves. They...
“There ought to be another word for what you do.” This comment came from a Rabbi in his late 70’s who received a massage as a hospice patient several weeks before his death. He’d received a number of massages in his life, he said, but...
I’ve been providing massage for 12 years. I LOVE my work. I’ve had clients come and go. Sometime you only see someone for one massage. You never really know why they don’t return. Maybe they moved away. Maybe they can’t budget regular massage at this...
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