Complementary Therapies

Niagara Hospice offers art, massage and music therapies for patients who might benefit from the experience.

Art Therapy provides an additional tool for patients to help express their feelings and goals. Their own creativity can give a sense of control and order in their lives as they respond to an end-of-life diagnosis. It can also provide a concrete journal of an individual's life, including their accomplishments, relationships and strengths.

Massage Therapy helps relieve symptoms and provides patients an opportunity to relax their body and mind. Although massage isn't capable of curing any serious or life-threatening medical disorders, it can provide welcome relief from the symptoms of anxiety, tension, depression, insomnia, and stress, as well as back pain, headache, muscle pain, and some forms of chronic pain.

Music Therapy has been shown to improve communication skills, academic and motor skills, increase attention span and strengthen social and leisure skills. Music is also a useful tool in stress reduction and pain management in conjunction with pain medication.

Niagara Hospice also offers pet visits by trained volunteers. In some patients, pet visits have been found to reduce blood pressure, increase mental alertness, reduce anxiety and increase attention skills. Some of the goals of pet visits are to improve interactions with others and reduce loneliness. It has been observed that pets have a comforting and often healing touch that no one else can duplicate.