Providing Massage in Hospice Care Overview & Structure

Overview and Structure

Providing Massage in Hospice Care consists of 47 hours of instruction equal to 30 contact hours for continuing education and is presented in 4 modules. To accommodate the varied schedules of participants this program is offered in several formats throughout the year. The successful completion of all 4 modules is recognized with an Everflowing Practitioner’s Certificate.

The first three modules are conducted in a classroom setting and the clinical practice module is conducted onsite in two hospice in-patient care facilities.

The prerequisites for each module are listed in the description of each module.

Although it is suggested that participants attend the first three modules together, it is not required to receive an Everflowing Practitioner’s Certificate. Participants may take up to one year to complete the program. After one year a home study review and evaluation by Everflowing staff will be required to move into the next module.

The goal of this program is to provide participants with an understanding of the special tactile needs of dying persons and to present skills, techniques and personal practices for adapting touch and massage into a dying person's care. These skills and practices will assist practitioners in providing a safe and effective touch session, achieve more comfort at the bedside and clarify feelings concerning death and dying. The skills presented in this program will enhance the overall effectiveness of health care for patients and clients. They may also be incorporated into daily nursing care and be structured into most bodywork modalities.

Teaching Methods

In The Classroom

The teaching methods utilized in the classroom include lecture, discussion, small group dialogue, dyad exercises, group sharing, charts, video, demonstrations, and supervised hands-on practice. These are coupled with personal feedback from your supervisor, meditation, group movement, personal reflection and written homework.

Onsite Clinical Practice

The teaching methods for onsite clinical practice include gathering information from hospice staff, observation of the Everflowing supervisor, working with hospice residents, supervised hands-on practice with hospice residents, one-on-one feedback from the Everflowing supervisor and written reporting and group debriefing.

Course Materials

The Everflowing course workbook, Providing Massage in Hospice Care, is mailed in advance of the date of the first module to those participants who enroll in the first three modules collectively. Participants who enroll one module at a time have the opportunity to purchase the course workbook at cost. Each module has additional materials provided. These materials are listed in the description of each module.

"I took the whole series of classes with Everflowing including the basic, clinical internship, advanced and business class. Irene is one of the most compassionate and experienced teachers in the field.

The material I learned with Everflowing goes beyond offering touch to dying; it teaches how to be present for the client with compassion, respect and healthy emotional boundaries.

Irene's teaching does not stop at skills; it builds the attitude of presence for the client." — Wieslaw Rocki, MD, PhD

“My teaching style is whole. It joins mind, body and spirit. This involves the student in processing information through the body. Movement, awareness of breath, and a focus on conscious delivery are all part of the Everflowing relationship. There are spaces of silence in my classes to make room for the deepening of awareness to our internal and external environment. Learning to listen to non-verbal messages plays a big role in working with clients in later stages of life.

Everflowing classes are intimate, the approach is personal and the intention is tenderness.” – Irene Smith

Everflowing Graduates: Julia, Iris, Irene, Lucy and David.