| Massage: The Right Touch |
Massage therapy is one of the oldest and purest of hands-on relaxation therapies. Its roots go back to the 5th century BC physician, Hippocrates, known as the father of medicine. Our gentle massage is soothing, comforting and relaxing—it is one of Hospice of Marion County’s special gifts to our patients. Individualized massage is available with the physician’s consent and is performed by our full-time licensed massage therapists in the privacy of the patient’s home or any setting the patient calls home. Although massage is not reimbursed by Medicare, Hospice of Marion County does not charge for this service and considers it necessary to promote overall quality of life. Benefits Incude:
Meet our massage therapists, each one has an intuitive gift of knowing the right type of massage for each person, as well as highly developed skills.
Paige Cushman, LMT, West TeamI have known since age 5 that I would always work in the field of medicine. For 25 years, I worked in various capacities in medicine that were good educational experiences, but always left me feeling restless and yearning for something more. Within three days of starting with Hospice, I knew I had finally found my life’s work. The previous years had just been preparation for my work with Hospice patients and their families. Combined with my massage training and experience with Hospice care, this has been a journey of personal growth as well. As a result, I am a better listener, which is essential in relating to those during the most vulnerable time in their life. I also use these experiences to help teach the patients and families because better understanding increases coping skills. In addition, working with Hospice patients requires the ability to do problem solving, team work, show adaptability, exhibit genuine caring and compassion, and maintain a wide variety of training in massage and medicine in general. Providing pain relief and general comfort through relaxation, increased circulation, decreased edema and lots of TLC are just icing on the cake. As an added bonus, I do a little “dog whispering,” which includes dog massages while their owners are resting.
Jolie Irwin, LMT, Nursing Home TeamI have been a massage therapist in private practice since 1993, specializing in injury rehabilitation and general relaxation massage. In 1998, I was certified as a Touch for Health Instructor and pursued training in the Professional Kinesiology Practitioner’s Program, now a four-year college level program developed by Bruce Dewe, MD, and his wife Joan. In 1999, I started teaching Anatomy/Physiology and Kinesiology at the vocational level for the massage therapy program at CTAE. I love teaching and still offer continuing education and workshops for massage therapists and lay people whenever I can but the death of my sister from breast cancer in 1998 changed me in ways I didn’t realize at the time. She loved the bodywork I gave to her during her illness and I came to see that offering compassion and comfort in the form of massage to those in the last days of their lives filled a unique need and proved to be one of the most fulfilling aspects of my career. I was blessed to have been offered the massage therapist position on the newly-formed nursing home team five years ago and am honored to be part of such a dedicated team of professionals. I continue to look for ways to learn and contribute to Hospice and my profession and have received certification as an instructor for Massage Therapy for Cancer Patients and taken the class on Massage for the Hospital and Medically Frail Patient.
Tanya Kalamanka, East TeamAs far back as five years of age I have been touching—so in 1977, I took my first training in professional massage. From then on, I knew this was what I really wanted to do. Nursing had been good to me, but when I moved to Florida in 1984, I had to go back to massage school to meet Florida massage requirements. 1988 found me in Naples, Florida, with my own private practice and in 1993 I moved to Ocala. In 1994 I began a pilot program for massage at Hospice of Marion County. The acceptance for the program was wonderful and in three months the program went from 24 hours to 40 and by the end of the first year, we needed another full-time therapist. For me, massage/bodywork has been a calling: “Massage is so much more than rubbing skin.”
Lyn MooreI have been a licensed massage therapist since 2003, graduating from a private institute in Tallahassee, FL. Most of my professional experience comes from specializing in muscle-specific injuries. I have been working with Hospice of Marion County since October 2007 on the ACT Team (Assisted Care Team). Most of the patients I work with live in assisted living facilities – including both independent living and memory care. Approximately 40% of the patients I visit have Dementia / Alzheimer’s. They may not know who I am; they may not understand why I am there with them; yet, there’s nothing like seeing their eyes open and face light up with my familiar touch. Although all of my experiences here have been amazing, these types of experiences truly show me just how powerful human touch can be.
Marcy RathmannI have been a massage therapist for 13 years, after graduating from The Florida School of Massage in Gainesville, FL in 1996. Upon graduation, I worked in an outpatient physical therapy clinic for several years before starting with Hospice of Marion County in 2006. Working with Hospice of Marion County for the past 3 years has truly been the most inspiring work that I have ever done. One day I was called upon by one of our home health aides, who was having trouble turning a bed bound patient because the patient's neck was turned all the way to one side and he was unable to move it. When I arrived, I found the patient to be in a great deal of discomfort. I gently massaged him until the neck was back to the neutral position. As I finished, the patient (who was unable to speak) looked at me, blinked his eyes, and gave a little smile, as if to say, "thank you" for what I had done. I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to be with our patients and their loved ones during this personal time in their lives and it is an honor to be a part of the Hospice of Marion County team.
| ||||||||
