Stillness in Motion

 Hi All,

Lola’s comments reflect the question that many massage therapists ask: “How can I get paid for providing services to hospice or elders who reside in nursing homes?”  This is an important question and the answer is multi-faceted.  Over the years I have met many massage therapists who generously volunteer their services to care for individuals in hospice care.  I’ve even had some therapist say to me ” This is such sacred work, I don’t feel right charging for it.” 

I think the decision to provide our services as volunteers is a highly personal decision.  I do some hospice volunteer work myself.  For me, it is a way to give something back- a gesture of gratitude.  That said, I’d like to offer this for you to ponder.  The service we provide as massage therapists has value, no matter what the setting and we should be asking to be compensated for what we do.  That includes nursing facilities, hospitals, home care and hospice settings.  We offer those we touch a profoundly healing experience that requires our professional skills.  So the question still stands- how can I get paid? 

I am seeing massage therapists around the country being paid by hospice groups, by nursing facilities and by  families of elders who are in facility care.  Things are shifting in our favor.  Here are three situations I know of, representing three different funding resources.

1. A nursing facility in pays a massage therapist an hourly rate for up to 12 hours per month to provide massage for the elders there.  The administrator sees the value added to her facility by offering this innovative complementary service.  The money comes from the marketing budget because it is attractive to her potential customers.

2. A hospice pays for massage sessions for their patients by using money from a fund that was created for added services.  The money for the fund comes from donations.

3. Elders in a facility who recieve state medicaid money each month may use some of the monthly “personal needs” money for massage.

What are you seeing regarding this issue?  How do you feel about it?  How might we be agents of change? I would love to hear from you. Let’s talk!

Be Well,
Ann

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In a November issue of USA Today (11/13/07) there was an article about retired Justice Sandra Day O-Conner’s husband, John.  John has Alzheimer’s disease and lives in a Phoenix care facility.  The article focused on the fact that John found a new love in the facility- a woman who also has Alzheimer’s.  Mrs. O’Conner’s reaction to this development was one of relief and gladness that her husband had found a bit of happiness in the midst of  suffering from dementia.
I recently saw the 2007 movie Away From Her starring Julie Chistie who beautifully portrays a woman with Alzhiemer’s disease and she, too, finds a satisfying relationship with a man in the faciltiy where she resides.  Her husband in the film responds with bittersweet understanding and compassion for his wife.
I wonder how common this occurs in couple’s struggling with the challenges of this disease. 
In the USA article, Peter Reed, senior director of the Alzhiemer’s Association is reported as saying that “ the underlying causes of this are fairly common.  Though paitients lose their cognitive abilities and experience mood changes, one of the things that doesn’t go away is the need for relationships”.  It would seem that this part of our humanity remains intact no matter what life may throw our way.
What do you think?

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 Hi All,

Over the last 6 years I have had the opportunity to see massage therapists around the U.S. successfully expand their practices to settings like long term care settings and hospice.   Some cases in point:

• Helen G., LMT in
  Portland, Oregon contracts with a senior retirement community that provides her with a treatment room on-site.  Her practice is thriving!
• Ellen M., LMT in
  Lady Lake, Florida is employed full time by a hospice organization
• Lu R., LMT in Hampton, Iowa regularly provides massage to elders with Alzheimer’s disease in a local care facility
• Jeff F., LMT  in Loveland, Colorado is the director of the wellness program in a continuing care community.  He has developed an extensive touch program for elders there. 

It’s my observation that massage is finding its way to these non-traditional settings; nursing homes, assisted living, senior retirement communities, community and residential hospices.   Clearly the therapists I mention are working in these settings.  It raises a few questions that I think are worth pondering and sharing our thoughts. 

1.       What are you seeing in your own community? Are massage therapists serving those in these special settings?  If so, are they being paid or are they volunteering their services?

2.       What do you think are the reasons why the doors are opening for massage in eldercare and hospice? 

3.       What is essential for a therapist to succeed at practicing in these settings? 

Those of us who feel drawn to work with people in later life stages can support one another in our pioneering efforts to take massage to this special population.  Take a minute to share your thoughts—we’ll all be listening!

Happy Holidays to you,

Ann

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The last visitor to my feeder is surely well on his way along his epic journey to South America where he will spend the coming months. I am fascinated by hummingbirds—those fairy-like creatures of the bird world. When “hummers” are in my garden, my heart is joyfully uplifted and if I take time to notice, there is a stirring of awareness deep in my soul.

Have you ever watched a hummingbird? How he darts playfully about forwards and backwards and his wings seem to be but a flutter in flight. He hovers above the flower as he literally drinks of the nectar of life. At that moment, he is stillness in motion.
Perhaps the greatest gift we offer those we touch is stillness in motion. Even in the midst of chaos, we provide a place for our clients to hover for a few minutes, pausing to drink of life’s sweetness before moving along their own personal journeys. It is in this stillness where we discover our own healing presence. What this messenger, the hummingbird, has taught me is that only in stillness do we see the perfect reflection of our innate healing presence. In stillness, we can be healed and be a healing presence to others.

This blog is about serving individuals who we consider to be in “special populations”: our elders, those who are seriously ill, and the dying person. The foundation of our service is healing presence, which is why I chose to begin our conversation here with this topic. Providing massage for this special population is a unique form of practice. My hope is that this blog become a place for sharing about our experiences, relevant information, and practical tidbits. Mostly I hope it builds community.

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Ann Catlin, LMT, NCTMB, OTR has more than 25 years experience working with older adults and people with disabilities using both her skills as a massage therapist and occupational therapist. She is the director of the Center for Compassionate Touch and trains massage therapists, health professionals and other caregivers across the nation in Compassionate Touch®, a therapeutic modality created specifically for the elderly, ill or dying person. Ann lives in Springfield, Missouri where she has a massage practice serving elders in facility care and is a hospice volunteer.
She may be reached at www.compassionate-touch.org

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