Complementary Therapies
Hospice of North Central Ohio is the only local, nonprofit Hospice that provides the three complementary therapies of pet therapy, music therapy and aromatherapy. The benefits of these complementary therapies are many, helping to decrease anxiety and pain perception while promoting relaxation and improving quality of life.
Pet Therapy
Certified therapy dogs bring great joy and comfort to Hospice patients. Most notably, pet therapy has been shown to increase pain tolerance, reduce stress, and lower blood pressure all while eliciting many smiles. At times, Hospice patients may find it difficult to talk to loved ones and may turn inward to ease the transition toward death. These patients find interactions with animals to be easier and less painful, offering a temporary reprieve. If you are interested in volunteering with your certified therapy dog, please call us at 419-281-7107 or send us an e-mail.
Music Therapy
The benefits of Music Therapy are great, as it can be used to address the physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of individuals of all ages. Specifically for our Hospice patients, Music Therapy decreases anxiety, increases quality of life, decreases pain perception, decreases isolation/loneliness, improves coping strategies and decreases nausea/vomiting.
Taking each patient's individual needs into account, our music therapist uses interventions that may include one or more of the following:
- Music Imagery/Relaxation
- Life Review Through Familiar, Significant Songs
- Music Listening
- Songwriting
- Lyric Analysis
- Singing
- Playing Instruments
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils derived from flowers, leaves, bark, seed, or fruit peels to create and maintain physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social well being. While Aromatherapy provides some of the same relief from stress and pain that Music Therapy does, it also promotes energy, reduces inflammation, relieves insomnia, and promotes relaxation. Our Aromatherapist creates a "tailor-made" oil based on our patient's particular needs. A gentle arm and hand massage is provided with this blend. Some of our patients also enjoy a foot soak, soft relaxing music and a warm aromatherapy rice bag for their neck.
