Integrative Touch for Kids

Description

Integrative Touch for Kids developed because of the need for gentle, calming touch for children in medical settings. In 2000, Shay Beider had the opportunity to observe a child who was receiving an appendectomy. The child seemed very frightened about the experience. Because the medical staff's efforts were focused on preparing for surgery, the child's fears were not alleviated. Shay had worked as a massage therapist and felt that massage might have been helpful in calming her prior to surgery. Shay became a community member of the Family Centered Care Committee at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. She proposed the idea of developing a massage program for hospitalized children. Shay worked along side an interdisciplinary team of healthcare providers to co-create an Integrative Touch Committee that would focus on bringing massage to hospitalized children. Shay solicited the help of a local non-profit organization to bring massage services free of charge to patients. The Integrative Touch team worked with the Comfort and Pain Management Committee to develop an inpatient massage program. Hospital privileges were granted to massage therapists to provide massage to hospitalized children, at no cost to the patients. The program included both massage research studies and evaluation.

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