Imagine your loved one being able to remember the days of their youth; such as when they encountered and sniffed a variety of wild roses, or were enchanted by beautiful apple blossoms in the spring. Such memories can give a loved one feelings of peacefulness, and when accompanied by a reflexology treatment, it can possibly relieve pain. This allows your loved one to surrender much more peacefully into the transition from life to death.

My mum’s passing took a week. The pain she suffered was hard to bear, even though as a family we tried to celebrate her life with her before she passed away. We did a variety of things during that last week to make life as happy as possible, such as: the children made crafts for her to enjoy; we played her favorite music; laughed; told stories; created posters that depicted each story, shared each intimately with my mother and then hung them on the walls all around her in the room.

We did all that to celebrate her life and bring as much joy as possible during her last days. However, watching her go through the transition whilst enduring pain and emotion was very difficult for us, her children and grandchildren. We were definitely not prepared for what we experienced.

If we could have incorporated reflexology and aromatherapy into her end of life treatment, and relieved her pain naturally, I would have absolutely arranged for that to happen. I would also have reminded her of the beautiful gardens in England during her youth that she had often mentioned. And I would have relived with her as many fond memories as possible.

It is only now that I am trained in both reflexology and aromatherapy that I can understand and appreciate the relief that could had been applied to her end of life care.

A research study from The Journal of Nursing showed that reflexology and aromatherapy during palliative care may be beneficial. The study states:

“Complementary therapies are being increasingly used in palliative care in the drive to improve patients’ emotional, psychological and spiritual health, and enhance the quality of their lives. The importance of seeking the ‘user’ perspective when evaluating such services is becoming increasingly acknowledged. However, it is also extremely important that we elicit such perspectives in an ethically sensitive manner. This study used a simple semi-structured questionnaire to elicit the views of a convenience sample of 34 patients receiving palliative care at a specialist palliative core unit in the north of England who had completed a course of 4–6 sessions of reflexology. Patients’ comments about the therapy and the service as a whole were overwhelmingly positive. They identified relaxation, relief from tension and anxiety, feelings of comfort and improved well-being as beneficial effects of their course of reflexology. Patients also spontaneously evaluated the experience holistically in terms of the wider therapeutic environment – the Centre, the staff and the therapist as well as the therapy itself. The increasing demand for evidence based practice now challenges researchers to provide a relevant holistic assessment of complementary therapies using approaches that are both ethical and sensitive to the needs of this vulnerable patient population.”

Discuss end of life care with your loved ones, and I invite you to contact me with any questions that you have on this topic.

To quote my mum, Laugh often and love always. And always remember: laughter and love really are the best medicine!

Be well.

Annette Hubley, RRP, is a Board Certified Reflexologist, holds a certificate in nutrition, practices Clinical Aromatherapy and owns the Ideal Protein Clinic in Bridgewater.

Her office is at 129 Aberdeen Rd, Suite 209, Bridgewater, N.S.

You can contact her via email, at 902-521-1710 or by visiting www.wellnessforalifetime.ca