COMPLEMENTARY

Therapies

It is our goal with every Faith Hospice patient to give them the highest quality-of-life possible at a physical, emotional and spiritual level. Our extensive list of available holistic therapy options helps us to provide as many opportunities as we can to help achieve this. Thanks to the support of generous donors, we offer the following complementary therapy options as a part of any patient’s expert care.

AROMATHERAPY

More and more research has shown that smells can trigger emotions and comfort in a whole different modality than traditional methods.  They are also essential components to actual treatment and relief itself. End-of-life patients may not respond to traditional modes of comfort or be resistive to utilizing medications generally used.  Oils give options outside of usual methods to treat our patients holistically.

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MUSIC THERAPY

Whether bringing back a fond memory with a familiar tune or creating a calming environment with comforting tones, music offers patients relief from emotional distress.  As one of our nurses once explained, “A dementia patient may not be able to form a sentence but they’re able to sing a familiar song!” Music is part of our fabric of being and can reach recesses of the soul that words often cannot.

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MASSAGE  THERAPY

Massage eases tension, stiffness and provides pain relief (sometimes in conjunction with medication).  It can also open up and facilitate the fluid channels necessary to ease edema and fluid retention. The simple touch alone can provide comfort and ease anxiety at a time of life when loving touch is often not readily given.  

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PET THERAPY

An animal's unconditional love and presence offer peace and a welcoming distraction for our hospice patients. There is something unexplainable about what the touch of their soft fur or a wagging tail does to the soul. This is why Pet Therapy is one of the many non-traditional therapies Faith Hospice offers to enhance the quality of life for our patients. This service is available only at our Trillium Woods facility.

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VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) 

Virtual reality provides a therapeutic experience that gives patients a holistic option for relieving pain and discomfort while also enhancing emotional and psychological well-being. Research has shown VR can have the same pain relief benefits without the addictive properties. The experience allows patients to travel to places they’ve never been, check items off their bucket list, or simply engage in a relaxing session—transporting them to a place where being a hospice patient is not a part of their reality.