How Skilled Human Touch Can Transform Person-Centered Dementia Care

All care-providers of older adults are challenged with adopting person-centered dementia care practices and reducing the use of antipsychotic medications. To this end, providers must integrate non-pharmacologic approaches to meet the psychosocial and behavioral health needs of elders with dementia.

Feasible and effective, Compassionate Touch® assists providers in achieving these goals. Research evidence supports Compassionate Touch® as a means to reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and create positive engagement of elders, staff and family caregivers.

Touch and Older Adults

Touch deprivation in old age is real, especially for the medically frail elder, leading to feelings of isolation, anxiety, poor trust in caregivers, insecurity and decreased sensory awareness.

Older adults living with serious conditions are often especially receptive to touch. Unfortunately, they are least likely to receive expressive human touch from health care providers. Nursing students have been shown to experience anxiety about touching older patients.

Elders report that “touch conveys fondness, security, closeness, warmth, concern, and encouragement, and makes them feel an increased sense of trust and well-being.”

Answering the Need

Compassionate Touch® is an evidence-based, relationship-centered, practical, pro-active and cost-effective approach combining skilled touch with compassionate presence. It’s a tool that can help establish holistic dementia care while meeting regulatory requirements.

Compassionate Touch® brings together the world of medical technology with the human side of care.

The methods used in Compassionate Touch® combine specific touch techniques—including focused touch, hand massage, slow-stroke back massage and foot massage—with the qualities of presence.

The above information is an excerpt from the white paper offered by The Center for Compassionate Touch, to read and download the white paper in its entirety visit
the website by clicking the title.

The Center for Compassionate Touch LLC was founded by Ann Catlin, a leading expert in the field of massage in eldercare and hospice.
Their ongoing mission is to improve quality of life for elders by rediscovering the human touch in caregiving.
To achieve their mission they:

• Facilitate development of touch programs.
• Empower caregivers with training.
• Partner with kindred individuals, organizations and institutions.

• Live on-site training
• Consulting services for program development
• Instructional materials