Bringing 'moments of joy and relief' to patients' homes - North Devon Hospice

Hayley, Hospice to Home team member at North Devon Hospice, explains how your support has helped bring more moments of joy and relief to patients in their own homes.

For lots of patients, coming to the hospice to enjoy a complementary therapy session really is something to look forward to.

Whether it’s helping to relieve their pain through the soothing release of physical touch or having the chance to talk openly in a safe and comfortable environment, there are so many benefits to these wonderful treatments.

Traditionally, these therapies were given at the hospice and at The Long House – our Outreach Centre in Holsworthy - by our wonderful Complementary Therapies Coordinator, Mandy, and her amazing team of volunteer therapists. This meant that when a patient became too poorly to physically attend, their therapies would sadly end, causing them to miss out on this wonderful service.

Working in the Hospice to Home Team, a colleague and I with existing therapy skills wanted to do something to make sure everyone in our care can enjoy the benefits of complementary therapies, wherever they are. So, over the past few months, we’ve extended our training and worked closely with Mandy and her team to provide the missing link in the Complementary Therapy service.

I’m delighted to say that we can now bring more moments of joy and relief to patients in their own homes by offering two types of therapy: Reiki Therapy and Massage Therapy.

If you haven’t heard of this before, Reiki (pronounced ray-key), is a simple, hands-on form of therapy that helps to restore the natural balance of the body. It brings a sense of peace and well-being and can be used to help people enter a state of deep relaxation, something that’s incredibly important during stressful or chaotic times.

When giving Reiki, we will ask patients to sit or lie comfortably in a peaceful environment. We then place our hands gently on or over the patient in a series of positions around their body, detecting and alleviating energy flow imbalances. During this therapy, most people experience a warming, soothing, and relaxing sensation that helps to reduce pain and leave them feeling calm and refreshed.

Massage, which is a more commonly recognised type of therapy, is a form of structured or therapeutic touch. It can be used to bring relaxation, relieve muscle pain and tension, and bring comfort by contact with another human being.

While we offer patients standard massages such as head, neck, or back, we can also give specialised massages that help to target certain areas of the body where pain or symptoms are most prominent. Not only does this help to give physical relief but it can also reduce anxiety and be a positive form of communication between therapist and patient.

For us, to be able to support patients at home in this way is a real privilege and something that we feel makes our care even more special. Thank you for your support in helping to make this happen.

Written by Hayley Robinson, Home Team Member at North Devon Hospice