Burnbrae looks to therapuetic touch to alleviate pain
Team members at Campbellford home sign on for course in touch therapy
Thursday April 24, 2008 -- Deron Hamel
Three team members from Burnbrae Gardens have enrolled in a therapeutic touch class in an effort to deliver a holistic pain relief to residents at the Campbellford long-term care home.

Life enrichment co-ordinator April Faux, physiotherapy assistant Lynn Beck and restorative care aide Karen Lloyd attended the first segment of the course April 20.

While the group is planning to wait a few weeks before incorporating therapeutic touch as part of the home’s physiotherapy program, Faux says the first class was so enriching that the three are already able to perform treatments.

The class was held at the home of an instructor from Sir Sandford Fleming College. The trio is planning to take two more classes throughout the summer to complete the course. They will also be attending monthly support group meetings.

Faux got the idea for a therapeutic touch program at the home after attending a March 20 Four Counties Long-Term Care Palliative Network educational session in Peterborough.

Therapeutic touch works by balancing the energy around a person’s body. For example, if a person is feeling pain in their neck the spot where the pain occurs will most often feel warm to the touch.

In some instances the practitioner will feel a cool or prickly sensation over the troubled area, notes Faux.

To relieve the pain, a therapeutic touch practitioner will position their hands about six inches away from the pain spot and use their own body’s energy to draw the excess energy out of the troubled area, thus reducing the pain.

Beck says she has been interested in learning therapeutic touch techniques for a long time.

“I’m very interested in looking at all the different fields of assisting in healing and therapeutic touch facilitates healing,” she says, adding that after attending the Level 1 session she’s “amazed” at being able to feel the energy surrounding people.

Therapeutic touch can work in other areas of long-term care aside from relieving pain, says Faux, adding that she hopes to use the techniques she has learned to help relax residents who have dementia.

Because therapeutic touch is a fairly new concept, Faux says some residents may be wary of its benefits. However, she’s anticipating the long-term results to be positive.

“Once we get the buy-in, I think it will definitely be beneficial,” she says.

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