This years Complementary Therapy week takes place from the 20th to the 27th March. We asked our Complementary Therapy Service Lead, Jo Pasker, about the top five ways Complementary Therapy helps our patients (and their relatives) at Weldmar.
“Dame Cicely Saunders coined the term ‘‘total pain’’ and suggested that pain can be understood as having physical, psychological, social, emotional, and spiritual components.” explains Jo. “The combination of these elements is believed to result in a ‘‘total pain’’ experience that is individualised and specific to each patient’s particular situation.”
With this term in mind, Jo told us about the benefits of Complementary Therapy for both patients and their loved ones.
1. Complementary Therapy can reduce feelings of tension and stress, including physical discomfort and pain, increasing a patient’s ability to better cope with their situation.
2. It can improve their feeling of emotional wellbeing, by reducing anxiety and making them more resilient and lifting their mood.
3. Complementary therapies can ease physical symptoms caused by their illness or treatment, such as chemotherapy, by helping alleviate constipation or nausea, alongside conventional medication.
4. It is able to help with sleep hygiene by reducing insomnia and encouraging a more regular sleep pattern, through feeling more relaxed.
5. Complementary therapies are often successful in supporting patients when they are experiencing total pain, with the combination of therapeutic touch, emotional release and physical relaxation helping them on a psychological level, therefore improving their physical and emotional state.
And it appears those receiving Complementary Therapy agree with those top five! When Carol was first offered Complementary Therapy, she said she felt guilty for accepting. “I was at my lowest point when I met Jo, and at first I felt so guilty about having treatments,” says Carol, explaining that felt she would be taking a space away from someone who needed it more, like a patient. She also felt guilty because it is her husband who has received a life limiting diagnosis – she wondered why should she receive any help.
But our care and services are not only for our patients – we are here to help their loved ones too. “The whole hospice team never forget us” said Carol, “our wellbeing is just as important to the team as the patients.”
Initially, Carol expected her sessions to simply be a massage. “I had a misconception of you as a therapist, it didn’t register that you would pick up on things,” Carol tells Jo. As Jo explains, “Carol thought I would just give her a massage and that would be it. She didn’t realise that I am also assessing her presentation each visit and identifying when she might be struggling, or knowing when’s appropriate to raise issues with other team members, such as her husband’s Weldmar Community Nurse or her carer support.”
As for the therapy itself? “It’s time for me,” say Carol. “It may sound selfish to some people but it helps me block everything else out, which is so important for carers.”
The value of coming here, talking to you is immense. It’s such an amazing thing to offer – I have absolutely loved it.
A big thank you to Carol for sharing her experience with us.
