What Role Does Reiki Play in Hospice & Home Care?

Reiki, the Japanese alternative medicine which uses non-invasive gentle touch to promote health and wellbeing, is gaining more and more popularity in the U.S. Its acceptance in some American hospitals witness this popularity. More than 60 hospitals in the U.S. offer Reiki as part of their patient services, and 800 hospitals offer Reiki education. 

Reiki’s applications are not limited to its role as an alternative therapy accompanying conventional medicine, though. Indeed, reiki can be applied as a very effective way of providing home care for people living in a hospice. 

If you want to first know more about Reiki in detail, click here. 

What Is Hospice Care? 

Hospice care is a special kind of care for terminally ill people to improve their quality of life and comfort for the days left (usually less than 6 months). The philosophy behind hospice care is that even treating the illness seems impossible; we have to do our best to treat the disease symptoms. Thus, hospice care aims to enable the patient to spend the last days of his life with dignity and quality with their loved ones. 

Reiki’s Benefits in Hospice Care

Reiki can not only be beneficial for patines with incurable diseases, but also it could be a great help for their caregivers as well. In fact, due to the burden of responsibility falling on the caregivers and the stress they go through, these people also need emotional support. So let’s see how Reiki can benefit both groups.

Reiki Benefit for Terminally-ill Patients 

Perhaps the most precious benefit of Reiki for this group is the feeling of relaxation that it provides the recipients with. For example, in cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy and other stressful treatments, cancer-associated anxiety may increase the feeling of pain and interfere with the patient’s ability to sleep. 

Studies have shown that Reiki can help cancer patients who suffer from the condition mentioned above. If you want to know more about Reiki’s role in helping cancer patients, we recommend you read the following article: How Can Reiki Help Cancer Patients?  

Reiki Benefit for Hospice Caregivers

Even if the patient is not your relative, taking care of a person who thought to leave this world soon has never been without an emotional burden. You can add the negative feeling of fatigue and burnout to the list.

According to a scientific study, Reiki can lead to positive physical sensation and symptom relief in hospice patients and their caregivers. The symptoms in this study include anxiety, pain, agitation, nausea, and insomnia. 

Looking for an Experienced Reiki Master in Los Angeles?

Yrma Wilson is a certified Reiki master with more than 31 years of experience in Reiki healing that has helped hundreds of hospice patients and caregivers.