A warm embrace from a close friend or spouse, a gentle backrub from a loved one or a massage therapist – these and other consensual touches can be healing, comforting and calming.
“The research demonstrating the need for human touch is vast,” according to Psychology Today, citing studies of new-born infants, touch-deprived children and quiet brain scans when a person’s hand is held.Even before the social distancing caused by COVID, health professionals were concerned about the effects of being touch-deprived, especially among older adults who live alone, or face physical and cognitive issues.
“When you don’t get enough physical touch, you can become stressed, anxious, or depressed. As a response to stress, your body makes a hormone called cortisol. This can cause your heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and breathing rate to go up, with bad effects for your immune and digestive systems,” according to WebMD.
Early into the pandemic, Dr. Tiffany Field, director of the Touch Research Institute of the University of Miami Health System, and author of “Touch” conducted a survey and found that 68 percent of respondents felt they were touch deprived, and of those only 23% lived alone.
These findings and others got the attention of Kendal resident Jesse Carlock, who had seen the powerful benefits of touch, always with permission, in her practice as a psychologist. At Kendal she saw a community where “not much touching was going on” and this led her to Compassionate Touch®, a program developed by AGE-u-cate Training Institute. Last year Jesse introduced the program to the Kendal community.
Jesse says Compassionate Touch® can benefit both residents in the Stephens Care Center and in Independent Living, helping with issues of chronic pain, depression and anxiety. And unlike a massage, it’s free.
So far, Jesse and two other residents – Barb Benjamin and Eileen Beekman – are certified Compassionate Touch coaches, along with Kendal LPNs Lisa Stewart and Maribelle Holly. About 20 residents have attended the half-day training program, with a handful saying they are interested in volunteering their time as a caregiver.
Next year more training sessions (both in-person and remote) will be held, targeting SCC staff and SCC family members.
The touch training focuses on three areas of the body: hands and arms, back and feet, and lower legs.
Surveys have found that 20% to 30% of people prefer less touch, but for the others, a program like Compassionate Touch® can be a welcome gift.
“Not only is touch medicine but it is a way to reduce medication,” says Jesse, who’s part of an informal “hug” club at Kendal.
Not everyone can turn to a person in the next room and say - “I need a hug” or cuddle with a young child.
But other forms of touch are available, according to Psychology Today.
“Massage therapy has been shown to ease depression, increase attentiveness and enhance immune function. If massage therapy is not your thing, maybe a manicure or pedicure or other type of spa treatment that involves touch is. Pets have also been found to mimic some of the benefits of human touch, so long as you spend ample time petting them. Although weighted blankets aren’t human, they’ve been found to calm the nervous system in the same manner as touch.”