Comfort Touch: Complementary Care for the Hospice Patient

Comfort Touch is a nurturing style of acupressure massage designed to be safe, appropriate and effective for the elderly and the ill. It is a welcome complement to other palliative care measures offered within the hospice context. It provides comfort through hands-on techniques that promote deep relaxation and relief from pain. Six basic principles of Comfort Touch guide the caregiver in providing physical and psychosocial support to the patient. Integral to the practice of Comfort Touch is awareness of the body patterning of the practitioner to ensure physical and emotional self-care.