Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1128556
Ta k e 5 a n d t r y A B M P F i v e - M i n u t e M u s c l e s a t w w w. a b m p . c o m / f i v e - m i n u t e - m u s c l e s . 67 in position (no hospice patient is ever requested to lie prone—the practitioner must adapt); the patient should have no communicable skin disorders; the patient should have the ability to engage in ambulation or limited movement through the day, even if only simple range of motion; and the patient should be reasonably outside the near-actively dying stage (best approximation). CONCLUSION Of the three case studies presented, it may seem remarkable that two of the people were discharged. Hospice is not normally thought of as an experience in which one finds stabilization, rehabilitation, or improvement, let alone survivorship. Occasionally, due to the focus on providing multidimensional care and the extension of a heightened level of attention, patients will blossom in one or several ways, thus impacting their quality of life in every realm (mental, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual). As with all things, there are complexities involved that make this quite difficult for every patient. The typical end result is a journey in which growth and maturity results, pain is subsided, and an easeful transition from this life into the next is attained. As attested to, hospice patients can benefit greatly from touch. All of the patients in these case reports eventually died of their primary diagnosis but, because of the power inherent in the technique and the focus on serving with a heart that encapsulated the totality of a person's life experience—not just their physical dimension—the quality and quantity of their life was improved. What gifts were bestowed upon them during this period is often beyond our awareness. The therapist's life journey, though, is enriched beyond words. John F. Mramor, MA, LMT, CLT, RCST, CR, RM, is one of the massage therapists for Absolute Hospice in Canton, Ohio. He is certified in manual lymph drainage, biodynamic craniosacral therapy, and reflexology. He may be contacted at 143bpfromlmt@gmail.com.