It’s Hospice Care Week: a time to celebrate our care and the people who make it possible! This week, we’re highlighting how hospice care may sometimes be more than you think.

We spoke with Katrina who volunteers on our Inpatient Unit. She told us about the hand massages that she and the team offer to patients and their families.

“It’s a lovely thing to give a hospice patient a hand massage,” Katrina said. “Some fall asleep and others love to chat.”

“When someone is under stress or really anxious, a hand massage can give them a calming feeling,” she continued. “We often spend around ten minutes on each hand, but it depends on the patient. We sweep up and down the arms to release tension, sweeping it away. It’s all about touch and you can see how gentle they need you to be.”

“I just love giving a hand massage,” Katrina explained. “I feel privileged to be part of patients’ lives in this way.”