'Living history,' massage part of future plans
Aromatherapy pilot held
There is no shortage of ideas when members of the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center's Toccare Lo Spirito committee start brainstorming, says John Nichols, committee chairman and director of food and nutrition services at the Safford, AZ, facility.
In addition to a plethora of programs already in place under the umbrella of the organization-wide initiative (its name means "To Touch the Spirit") volunteers were beginning work in early 2006 on a "living history" program, says Sherry Larson, Toccare vice chair.
The idea, Larson explains, is to make a poster for the room of each elderly patient, giving information about the person's life. When caregivers enter the room, they can see that its resident was a fighter pilot in World War II, for example, or enjoys making quilts, she adds.
"The nurse can say, 'You're into quilting. So am I,'" Larson notes. "It gives them something to talk about besides the person's illness."
Plans also are under way to offer massage therapy on a regular basis to both employees and patients, Nichols says. Committee members hope to arrange, on a monthly or quarterly basis, a day in which 10- or 15-minute massages are available to employees, he adds.
If the service is extended to patients, Nichols says, it likely will be offered weekly to obstetrical and pre-operative patients.
The Toccare Lo Spirito committee also arranged for an individual to receive instruction and become certified in aromatherapy, he says; but while there have been some pilot projects, it's not yet clear how that service will be implemented.
A new cancer center, meanwhile, is being built with Toccare Lo Spirito in mind, notes Julie Johnson, CHAM, director of health information management (HIM) and communications and HIPAA privacy officer. "There's a beautiful setting, with great big windows facing Mt. Graham."
There is no shortage of ideas when members of the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center's Toccare Lo Spirito committee start brainstorming, ...You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content