Offering comfort through massage, song
Wednesday, December 21, 2005 -- Craig Anderson
With a gentle hand massage and lilting song, Karen Haffey says a special “good morning” to Winbourne Park residents once a month.

Karen, a bodywork therapist, is offering the newly created Music Comfort Care Program to residents at Winbourne Park and Elginwood.

A group of eight residents regularly take part in the monthly sessions at Winbourne Park, where Karen and colleague Elaine Ma turn an hour into equal parts singing, sensory stimulation, and relaxation touch, including massage and polarity therapy.

The Winbourne program is offered solely for residents with dementia. The Elginwood version, a once weekly program, is designed for residents requiring sensory stimulation.

Karen – who also coordinates a four home Comfort Care program at Winbourne Park, Elgonwood, Bay Ridges and Thortonview- alters her therapeutic routine when required.

“I watch carefully and when I greet a resident I look and listen for physical complaints. So it’s different each session – every resident’s needs are different.”

Lead by Elaine, the participants – who are predominantly in wheelchairs – will frequently ‘dance’ to the music, using their arms and legs to react to the music. Group members accompany Elaine and Karen in song, and frequently provide a rhythmic backdrop with hand-drums.

The music therapy, along with “bodywork” like message and polarity therapy, while only offering temporary alleviation of pain symptoms associated with conditions like arthritis, is, says Karen, a “wonderful compliment” to the other clinical care that residents receive.

“The results are temporary, but they are still effective” says Karen, “but it’s important that [the residents] receive whatever relief they can. It’s not to say that there aren’t long- term affects – some residents have had deep, and lasting, results.”

Karen keeps it firmly in mind that many of the conditions she is offering pain relief for are long-standing – a fact that prevents her from feeling a greater burden of responsibility for “fixing everything.”

“I have to remind myself of that. I can’t take all of their pain away,” says Karen.