The end of our physical life is always a difficult subject, because it means loss on a fundamental level. For the individual, for friends, for their lovers and families, there is finality to this stage of life. Thankfully, there is hospice care. And, increasingly, reiki in hospice care is becoming more common.
According to the nonprofit headquartered right here in lovely Alexandria, Virginia, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s (NHPCO) publication, Facts and Figures: Hospice Care in America, hospice care is “considered the model for quality compassionate care for people facing a life-limiting illness, hospice provides expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support expressly tailored to the patient’s needs and wishes.”
Support doesn’t end there, though. Hospice care extends to the family of patients too. As NHPCO explains, “hospice focuses on caring, not curing.”
Increasing Use of Reiki in Hospice Care
Reiki in hospice care continues to be noted in research studies and reports showing its increasing use and effectiveness in end-of-life care. In 2005, the scientific review, “The increasing use of Reiki as a complementary therapy in specialist palliative care,” published in the International Journal of Palliative Nursing, explains (looking at the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom) in the abstract, that
Palliative medicine and complementary therapies (CTs) have developed within the NHS as parallel philosophies of care. As a result, the last decade has seen an increase in the integration and usage of CTs, as adjunct therapies to conventional medical treatment. Documented benefits of relaxation, decreased perception of pain, reduced anxiety and improved sense of wellbeing have been shown to enable an enhanced quality of life, where curative treatment is no longer an option. Reiki is a more recent addition to the range of CTs available to cancer patients. As an energy-healing intervention it has gained in popularity as a non-invasive and non-pharmacological approach. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the profound relaxation effect has a positive impact on alleviating anxiety, stress, perception of pain and promotes a feeling of wellbeing particularly relating to the nature of psychospiritual wellbeing.
The review notes, that with the increasing use of Reiki and reports of its help in hospice care, it necessitates that health care providers consider it as a standard part of hospice care.
As we noted last week regarding Reiki in home health care settings, hospice care is also available to Medicare beneficiaries. According to Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC), an independent congressional agency that advises the government on Medicare fee-for-service provider payments, approximately 1.4 million Americans receive hospice care annually. As the Baby Boomer generation ages, more and more Americans will need hospice care and so the trend of more Reiki demand will also rise.
Caring for Everyone in Transition
With growing acknowledgement that our healthcare system played a significant role in opioid epidemic negatively impacting the US, use of an ancient healing modality that requires no pills is potent medicine. Whether it’s routine hospice care (RHC) for the terminally-ill patient, or inpatient respite care (IRC) provided to the primary caregiver of the patient, Reiki serves as a role model for lowering distress, increasing calm, and decreasing burnout all-around.
It is often forgotten that when a patient is diagnosed with a terminal illness, many people are affected from having to care for that person and dealing with the looming loss of their loved one. This makes it more important to have care services given to and even training those individuals to administer Reiki for self-care. Mixed with the traditional care a person and their family is receiving in hospice care, Reiki provides a strong and natural complement to caring for everyone in transition.
Finding a Reiki Master
If you are interested in finding a Reiki Master to help with someone you’re caring for, who is ready for hospice care, there are ample resources for Reiki care. If you’re in the Alexandria, Virginia / Metropolitan Washington DC area, touch base with Four Directions Wellness. If for some reason we can’t help your loved one, we’ll connect you with a Reiki service provider for them.
If you’re outside of our area, you can find a qualified reiki practitioner here. Also, ask your hospice care provider for recommendations they may have in-house.
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Reiki in hospice care is a significant choice for complementary medicine in the face of tough medical decisions faced at the end of life. It’s significant because the individual’s whole being–mind, body, emotion and spirit–is the focus of the care. And, what’s more significant than the person facing mortality? Further, it’s significant because of its impact on the individual with less reliance on pharmacological approaches. A person’s experience is changed for the better with a greater sense of calm and wellbeing with Reiki, and without the risks.
Have you experienced Reiki? Has a loved one had Reiki during hospice care? What was your/their experiences? Let us know about your Reiki hospice care experiences in the comments.