Massage

Context: All inpatient children receiving pediatric palliative care consults at a free-standing children's hospital.

The aim of this pilot intervention study was to assess the effectiveness of selected forms of therapy (massage and relaxation) in reducing the perceived burden and improving the emotional status of caregivers of people with dementia and to determine which form of physical intervention is most effective. The study group was made up of 45 informal caregivers, who were divided into three subgroups (the massage group, relaxation group and control group).

The article offers information related to informal caregivers who provide unpaid, informal care for family members or friends with temporary or permanent conditions. It mentions increasingly, massage-related research examining massage benefits for admitted patients or patient populations and also mentions the results of standardized assessment scales that used to collect data for analysis research.

Objective: To review non-drug treatments for dementia; to provide a source of evidence for informal carers who want ideas about non-drug approaches for dementia, that they might try or that they could try to access. The systematic review addresses: what non-drug treatments work and what do they work for? What non-drug treatments might work and what for? What non-drug treatments do not work?

The Chair Massage service considered in this evaluation study was provided to carers, visiting in-patients at a major cancer hospital in the UK.