Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/943527
THE MODELS FOR MASSAGE IN HOSPICE Models for massage therapy programs in hospice care vary, but there are three primary models: 1. Massage practitioners are hired as employees. 2. Massage practitioners are private contractors and are called at random and are paid by the clients. 3. Massage practitioners are private contractors and are paid through a fund or grant by their sponsoring hospice organization. I am aware of hospice programs hiring massage practitioners who have no training in modifications from working with healthy people on a massage table to working with seriously ill people in beds. It's important for these program administrators to understand that hospice massage does not look like Swedish massage learned in massage school. Maureen Short, LMT, employed by a Massachusetts hospice, says, "Touching a dying person requires a completely different set of skills than touching/ massaging an average healthy person. Initially, I was quite unaware of this." Yes, there are courses for special massage populations, but rarely do health-care organizations understand that massage modifications are needed. Why are they unaware? Sadly, many hospice organizations offer massage therapy because it is a competitive modality of care. It markets well. Hospice clients want it. Their families want it. Therefore, the service may be offered with little or no concept of what the work actually demands from the practitioner in terms of skill modifications, emotional impact, and support. This lack of understanding is currently reflected in practitioners who are given the names of 70, 80, or 100 hospice clients on a referral list. Time allotted for each client may be as limited as 35 minutes, including reporting. This in itself illustrates that the important work required before a session even begins—having onsite communication with caregivers and family members, setting up a comfortable and safe space for a session, and incorporating various levels of nonverbal communication with a client with dementia or who is too fragile to speak—is not understood by many of the organizations who are hiring. h o s p i c e m a s s a g e 3