But it cannot be emphasized enough that hospice care means much more than merely the alleviation of symptoms: it means the fulfillment of the potential for an optimum quality of life for the dying person. Holistic volunteers are thus central to this mission in offering treatments that are outside clinical medicine. Of all these, massage and aromatherapy are considered as being very effective in making clients comfortable, relaxed and emotionally fulfilled.
How Hospice Use Massage
There are several advantages of using massage therapy in hospice facilities. I do not have the opportunity to spend time with patients so touching them helps me to do it somehow. Subtypes of massage include light touch composed of slapping, tapping, stroking, kneading and rubbing and have positive effects on pain, anxiety and circulation.
To the patients who may be restricted in movement by being on the bed most of the time, massage assists in reducing incidences of formation of bedsores as well as muscle rigidity making them comfortable.
In addition, massage therapy helps build up the virtue of relaxation. The nature of the interaction encompassing massage most of the time entails the use of touch that affords emotional comfort to both patients and their kin. To those who are on the terminal stage, this feeling of belonging and care can be very comforting and save them from the emotional stress that comes with illnesses leading to death.
Aromatherapy: One Of The Healing Arts And Treatment
Aromatherapy is another one of the many holistic practices that has made its way to the hospice services. In this therapy, oils extracted from plants, and that have been considered to have healing properties are used. In use of aromatherapy in setting up an enhancing environment, reducing stress and improving sleep among patients in hospice.
Lavender, chamomile, and frankincense essential oils are used a lot as they have the ability to put one to sleep. Such oils can be used in many ways, including using a light touch with your hands or spraying on the skin, using a diffuser that fills a room with the scent or adding a few drops to a warm bath. Each of them is advantageous in different ways, and the aim is to provide the patient with comfort once it will help.
Aromatherapy also offers the patients with certain sensory stimuli, which are likely to create positive feelings and stimuli that reminds them of home and family. This association with pleasure is useful, especially for those who find it difficult to deal with the psychological part of their disease.
Volunteering for a Cause of the Whole Person
To offer the above therapies, holistic volunteers are crucial in their provision. Due to their specializations in massage and aromatherapy, they are in a position to attend to the patient ‘s needs as per the latter’s requirement. Volunteers have personal interest in the task due to the sensitivity that prevails in the hospice services.
Massage and aromatherapy can be included in the care plan beside volunteering to make sure the environment is so healing and serene. They are valuable since they ensure that the patients are comfortable physically, emotionally and even provide them with spiritual support. In families knowing the fact that their beloved one is being attended to is being attended to holistically can really be encouraging.
Conclusion
Hospice care cannot do much without holistic volunteers in their midst. With body manipulation and odor stimulation, such committed individuals offer attention that goes beyond the typical methods of treatment, including the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of an individual.
It enhances the hospice experience through improving the quality and caliber of services that patients are offered in their time of need. As the hospice care expands its outreach it will prove to be instrumental in endorsing the features of holistic volunteers to enhance the quality of life of the palliative care clients.
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AbdulBasit 
UmarAwan