Palliative Touch:

With the support of palliative care and the hospice movement, more and more people are choosing to have the kind of experiences they want at the end of their lives. Massages can provide moments of comfort, well-being and beauty at a difficult time for patients and their loved ones. But most of us are not equipped with the right skills or knowledge to offer this help.

Palliative Touch: Massage for People at the End of Life is aimed at health care providers and complementary therapists, including massage therapists, energy workers, aromatherapists, nurses, home care nurses, end-of-life doulas, and others who want to offer safe, comforting touch to people with life-limiting illnesses. Based on more than two decades of experience in outpatient and inpatient hospice work, this book covers the following topics:

Basic knowledge and skills, such as entering and preparing the room, safety precautions, supportive positioning for massage at home or in the hospital, the best lubricants for stressed skin, how much pressure to apply in different situations
Stages of dying, from early decline to the last breath.
Twenty-five common symptoms at the end of life, with ideas on how to treat each one
Clinical information on common diagnoses, medications, equipment, procedures and devices
Cultural aspects and how they may affect end-of-life care
Readers are guided to engage with the material at the level that is appropriate for them, with practical tips in each chapter. Beautiful colour photographs, actual case studies and stories from therapists, carers and patients bring the information to life by connecting it to real people.

Palliative Touch is for anyone who wants to help a dying client or loved one feel better so that life can be lived to the fullest until the end.

Chapter 1. definition of this work
Chapter 2. preparing and enduring
Chapter 3. skills, safety and tools
Chapter 4. the session
Chapter 5. stages of dying
Chapter 6. common symptoms at the end of life
Chapter 7. common illnesses
Chapter 8. medicines in end of life care
Chapter 9. Medical equipment, devices and procedures
Chapter 10. Therapies to complement massage
Chapter 11. Providing Integrative Care
Epilogue. Lessons to say goodbye