Hospice of Northern Colorado

Music Therapy

Music affects us on many different levels. It can touch the mind, body and spirit simultaneously. Music promotes relaxation and has been shown to reduce the perception of pain and enhances physical comfort. Music therapy can alleviate anxiety and stress as well as being a means for expressing deep emotion. This can allow someone to review life’s joys and sorrows as well as creating positive interactions between people. All HNC patients are offered the opportunity to receive complementary music therapy, performed by a board certified Music Therapist.

Animal Assisted Therapy

Many hospice patients receive comfort from caregivers who don’t say a word. Therapy animals can bring joy and relaxation to patients from their very presence. HNC offers all patients complimentary Animal Assisted Therapy provided by the Delta Society approved dogs and their human partners. Volunteers with the Delta Society visit patients in their homes, nursing homes and in our Inpatient Unit.

Massage Therapy

Hospice patients may improve the quality of their lives by taking advantage of complementary message therapy. HNC offers a complementary massage each month to all our patients. Massage therapy is performed by a certified massage therapist. Massages may benefit patients by improving circulation, promote relaxation and reduce muscle tension. According to the American Massage Therapy Association, recent clinical research shows that massage therapy is more effective for chronic back pain than other complementary therapies. Massage therapy also promotes relaxation and alleviates the perception of pain and anxiety in cancer patients as well as stimulating the brain to produce more endorphins.

Comfort Touch

Comfort Touch (also called Healing Touch) is a form of alternative therapy that Hospice of Northern Colorado has found to be useful and effective in a patients care. Comfort Touch involves one or more trained therapists working with the human energy field of both the patient and therapist (s). In hospice, our goal is to provide comfort, energetic rejuvenation and improved well-being for our patients. During a Comfort Touch treatment session, the patient’s energy is sensed by the therapists with their hands, usually conducted a few inches over the patient’s body. Typically, patients are reclining (in a bed, massage table or a recliner chair) during the session and remain comfortably clothed. It is never painful and is non-invasive.

Reiki

Reiki is an ancient Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation. Reiki is “life energy” that promotes the movement of negative energy out of the body and channels healing energy in. Reiki addresses the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of our being. HNC offers complementary Reiki to all of our patients and is performed by a certified Reiki master volunteer.