A small pilot study has found massage therapy brings "inner peace" to clients in hospice care.

The aim of the study was to demonstrate how people with incurable cancer experienced massage in a palliative-care setting in which massage was used as an established and integrated part of the nursing care.

The study was based on interviews with eight patients in an advanced home-care setting who had all received massage as part of their daily care, according to a report on www.pubmed.gov.

"Massage was experienced by the informants as a way to find inner peace," the researchers, from Kristianstad University's School of Health and Society, in Sweden, noted. "During the massage the patients felt dignified, while memories from past massage sessions were about becoming free. These experiences

of dignity and freedom brought hopes for the future."

In late 2009 MASSAGE Magazine reported on a study of end-of-life care that suggested significant gains from massage therapy if it's preferred by the patient. that research also showed the benefits of massage may extend to the patient's primary caregiver.

Of the new research, the researchers noted, "The conclusion is that [massage] ought to be offered in the ordinary palliative care. More research is needed to understand what is needed to integrate and establish methods such as [massage] in the palliative care."

The research was published recently in the International Journal of Palliative Nursing.

Related article:

• Aromatherapy and Massage Improve Sleep in Advanced Cancer Patients

• Massage Therapy Benefits Hospice Patients, Caregivers

---

« Back to the Continuing Education Resource Center »

---

---

---