While traditional medical approaches can be helpful for many hospice patients, they may want or need additional remedies designed with the whole person in mind: medically, psychosocially and spiritually.
Along with aromatherapy, meditation, music, pet visitation and spiritual care, Masonic Village Hospice offers several types of massage and energy work therapies to patients, specifically Healing Touch™, reflexology, Reiki™ and therapeutic massage. Of these four therapies, Healing Touch is the least known and most unique.
Healing Touch, an energy therapy, uses light touch techniques to help balance a patient’s energy system and encourage self-healing within the body, mind and spirit. The therapy, developed by nurse Janet Mentgen in the late 1980s, can also reduce stress and improve the immune system.
Healing Touch has been offered at Masonic Village Hospice for about 14 years, thanks to caring volunteers and generous financial contributions from donors. Of the 120 hospice volunteers, 10 are currently trained in Healing Touch, said Angela Ortiz, hospice volunteer coordinator.
As part of the therapy, volunteers assess the energy field of the person in treatment with hand motions and scan to detect sensations and imbalances. Next, the practitioner will use off-body touch (near the body, but no actual contact) or gentle touch over various areas of the body to clear the energy field. He or she then performs another scan to ensure the energy imbalances were corrected.
Pat Harris, of Lititz, recently finished a two-day volunteer training at Masonic Village at Elizabethtown. She was inspired by a friend who provides services to older hospice patients in the Lancaster and Lititz areas.
“My friend said, ‘I never let anyone die alone, and I don’t let anyone have a funeral with no one in attendance. I always make sure I’m there,’” Pat said. “That stuck with me, so when I saw an ad in the newspaper for this program, I felt like it was meant for me.”
Pat likes how the therapy can be conducted “hands on” or “hands off,” depending on the preference of the patient, since some people don’t like being touched.
“It’s about the electrical flow and if you are both hopefully feeling it,” Pat said. “The therapy shows results, so that’s encouraging.”
Pat keeps a close eye on her patients and reports her findings to Angela, so she’s made aware if a person has declined or has another issue.
“Just recently, our volunteers provided Healing Touch to a woman who was actively dying and very restless,” Angela said. “By the time they left, she was completely comfortable.
“It’s important to note that [Healing Touch] is something that can be very beneficial to someone who is unable to communicate verbally. Healing Touch is another way to connect with them.”
Masonic Village at Elizabethtown resident Nellie Catts has been a hospice volunteer for the past two years. She has provided Healing Touch therapy for several patients. The therapy itself can last anywhere from 10 minutes to up to an hour, and the patient can be awake or asleep.
“We allow our energy for the patient to use for their own healing as they need it. We use our hands in a heart-centered and intentional way to facilitate physical, emotional and spiritual well-being,” Nellie said. “There is a set pattern for each condition you are trying to address, whether it be anxiety or pain. There is even one we can do to ease the transition to dying.”
Nellie used to volunteer with a hospice program in Maryland. When she moved to Masonic Village, she learned about Masonic Village Hospice and she wanted to contribute again.
“It’s very rewarding to me, personally, to make someone feel better,” she said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time when I finish doing it, they tell me they are feeling better, or it was good. That makes me happy.”
