Rehab joins with oncology to offer massage
Patients report high satisfaction with service
Inpatient oncology patients at St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima, OH, have found a silver lining in the medical ordeal they have to endure: They can look forward to an almost daily visit from a licensed massage therapist who will give them some physical comfort as they rest and listen to soothing music.
The program, which has been in place since September 2000, is part of St. Rita’s Outpatient Rehab Center’s complementary medicine services that are routinely offered to outpatient rehab patients. At the hospital’s request, the rehab facility joined up with the oncology department to offer massage to cancer patients, says Jennifer Forsberg, MSPT, ATC, athletic training clinical leader and coordinator of complementary medicine services and outpatient rehab at St. Rita’s at the Wapakoneta YMCA in Lima.
Before starting the oncology massage service, which is offered free to interested patients, Forsberg and oncology representatives attended a cancer conference to discuss the program with physicians.
"We knew it would be a challenge to get all of the physicians to buy in to the complementary medicine concept," Forsberg says. "So some key physician champions in our area spoke very highly of this service, and everyone was eventually won over."
Now therapeutic massage is a standard service offered on the oncology unit. Massage therapist Mary Jane Lammers, LMT, visits the oncology unit four days a week, spending several hours visiting all of the patients who qualify and are interested in receiving the service.
Lammers is one of four massage therapists in the rehab department, and she divides her time between the two areas. When she isn’t available to visit the oncology unit, another therapist will fill in, Forsberg says.
Besides fulfilling a philanthropic health care mission, the program results in positive feedback from cancer patients, with an average score of 4.5 out of a total positive score of 5.0, Forsberg says.
"From our patient surveys, people have written notes saying, for example, Jane, you have done a good job again. You even make my wife feel good. After my massage, she feels better because I do,’" Forsberg relates.
Other positive comments have included:
- "I was home for the weekend, and I couldn’t wait for Monday to get here because you were here to see me. All my aches and pains are gone."
- "Not only does she make your body feel good, but she puts a smile on your face."
Even the more reluctant physicians have come to see the program’s virtues. "One physician had some reservations about massage therapy," Forsberg relates. "Now he loves it when Jane has recently worked on his patient, because the patient doesn’t complain as much to him."
Typically, the first thing Lammers does when she arrives on the oncology floor is to meet with the case manager and then the charge nurse or private nurse to discuss which patients might need massage that day.
The nurses will know whether a patient’s fever has risen or if there have been any other changes, Lammers says.
Contraindications for receiving a therapeutic massage include the condition of deep vein thrombosis, fevers of unknown origin, rashes, and any contagious disease, she says.
Also, Lammers will not work on the areas of a patient’s body where an IV is attached or that have received radiation treatment.
After receiving a list of patients who are ready for a massage, Lammers will visit their rooms, spending 10 to 20 minutes with each patient.
"I do the massage according to the patient’s needs," Lammers explains. "It’s a feeling you get when you go in about how receptive a patient is for this."
If a patient is agitated or has insomnia, a relaxing massage may be especially good for him or her, she says.
"If a patient is in pain, I’ll usually do a light massage," Lammers says. "Some have headaches, and some have neck aches from being in bed too long or having slept too long."
Massages may involve only the patient’s feet or limbs. Or Lammers may provide a brief neck or back massage, again depending on the patient’s condition and needs.
Lammers uses special massage creams that are not oily, so bedridden patients won’t have the feeling that they are greasy after the massage. Also, the creams are unscented, and she won’t use the creams near a site that is going to receive radiation therapy.
Part of her work with patients involves teaching interested family members how to do light massages when their spouse or parent needs one.
"I teach them a light massage for the arms, legs, foot, or a simple back massage," Lammers says. "It’s very relaxing for the patient and gives them the feeling that the spouse cares."
Oncology patients typically have a great deal of anxiety, stress, and fear, as well as pain and nausea. Through therapeutic massage, they often can relax and have a good night of sleep. Touch also helps them feel more normal within their bodies, erasing the negative body images that come with cancer and the feeling that no one will want to touch them because of the disease, Lammers says.
One offshoot of the program has been that since patients grew accustomed to the soothing music Lammers plays while they were receiving massages, they have requested to have music players in their rooms so they can listen to music at other times of the day, Forsberg says. So now the oncology floor has installed CD players in each patient’s room.
The rehab facility continues to offer outpatient massage therapy services and other complementary medicine services to patients, but there is no expectation that the oncology program will result in increased referrals, Forsberg says.
"It’s just part of the service line we offer to oncology patients to help with their stay," Forsberg says. "St. Rita’s recently completed a huge expansion of the cancer service, and the hospital subscribes to the body/mind/spirit theory of treatment."
Need More Information?
- Jennifer Forsberg, MSPT, ATC, Athletic Training Clinical Leader, Coordinator of Complementary Medicine Services and Outpatient Rehab, St. Rita’s at the Wapakoneta YMCA, St. Rita’s Outpatient Rehab Center, 830 West High St., Suite 150, Lima, OH 45801. Telephone: (419) 227-3361.
- Mary Jane Lammers, LMT, Licensed Massage Therapist, St. Rita’s Medical Center, Outpatient Rehab Center, 830 West High St., Suite 150, Lima, OH 45801. Telephone: (419) 227-3361.