Tuesday, April 5, 2016
A Rose by Any Other Name...Complimentary Therapies in Palliative Care
by Susan Thrane, RN, PhD
Non-western, non-medical, non-allopathic
modalities have been called by many names:
modalities have been called by many names:
- complementary and alternative medicine (CAM),
- integrative,
- supportive,
- adjuvant,
- placebo and
- hooey just to name a few.
Whatever
you call them (I prefer complementary or integrative), modalities such as massage, yoga, aromatherapy, guided imagery, meditation, energy therapies such
as Reiki, Healing Touch, Therapeutic Touch, or creative art therapies (these
include dance/movement, art, and music therapies provided by a trained
therapist) do require training for the person providing the therapy.
For Children....
Playing
video games, listening to music, virtual reality programs, coloring, or any
craft activity can also be helpful for symptom management for children and
adolescents.
For Infants.....
Modalities helpful for symptom management for infants include
kangaroo care (skin-to-skin contact) swaddling, holding, rocking, breastfeeding,
sucking on a pacifier, or a combination of these.
Generally speaking, these therapies don’t stand alone in the
symptom management realm; they are most often used in addition to medications for symptom management. What these
modalities bring to the palliative care table is a way for children and
families to have fun and to participate in their own care.
By providing access to integrative therapies, we can help
manage symptoms and increase the child and family quality of life. Offering
complementary therapies allows children to manage symptoms without additional
medications that come with side effects that may interfere with play and family
time.
What do you think?
- What are your thoughts on the use of complementary modalities in pediatric palliative care?
- Do you think there is benefit or harm to any of these modalities?
- Does your facility use any formal complementary modalities? What about informal modalities such as crafts, coloring or listening to music through headphones?
- Are there any you would like to try in your setting?
- Have you tried any of the modalities listed for self-care?
- What do you think about passive (massage, energy therapies, aromatherapy) versus active (yoga, guided imagery, meditation) modalities?
Join us for a lively discussion of complementary therapy use in pediatric palliative care!
What: #hpm (hospice and palliative
medicine/care) chat on Twitter. Also use #pedpc (pediatric palliative care)
When: Wednesday,
April 6, 2016. 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Host: Dr. Susan
Thrane (@sthrane)
Dr. Susan Thrane is a PhD prepared nurse researcher from the
College of Nursing (@osunursing) at The Ohio State University (@OhioState)
For more on past tweetchats, see our archive here.
Follow @hpmchat and go to www.hpmchat.org for up to date info.
If you are new to Tweetchats, you do not need a Twitter account to follow along. Try using the search function on Twitter. If you do have a Twitter account, we recommend using tchat.io for ease of following. You can also check out the new site dedicated to #hpm chat - www.hpmchat.org
photocredit: indulgy.com
For more on past tweetchats, see our archive here.
Follow @hpmchat and go to www.hpmchat.org for up to date info.
If you are new to Tweetchats, you do not need a Twitter account to follow along. Try using the search function on Twitter. If you do have a Twitter account, we recommend using tchat.io for ease of following. You can also check out the new site dedicated to #hpm chat - www.hpmchat.org
photocredit: indulgy.com
