Ease the Passing into the Next Life with Palliative Care Massage

You cannot run from death. It's an inveitability that will eventually succumb, whether it be tomorrow or in a hundred years. It's an event in life that every person will face and yet it is one of the most feared experiences on the planet. While no one can walk you through that ominous doorway into the next life, massage therapists have the unique experience of providing comfort through touch and an encouraging presence at the end of life.

Wellington College is proud to offer training on this rare skill in a 14-hour Continued Education workshop that spans two days. Participants will be taken through exercises to understand their own beliefs and fears when it comes to death and discuss those in a non-judgmental discussion with other therapists. This process is a way to understand that not all people feel the same way about death and what to do when someone, at the end of life, believes something different than you. This program works to prepare you to care and support those individuals and/ or families who are living with a life-limiting illness or coping with grief. You will cover topic areas including the role of the massage therapist, death and dying, comfort measures, listening and responding, spiritual care, loss, grief and bereavement. You will also look at exploring your personal attitudes towards death and dying, deepen your self-awareness, and understand the importance of self-care. The instructor, Sheila Bergman has developed a take-home, 8-week journal that will help you process what you have learned and deal with your own grief and emotions that may have been stirred during the workshop.

 Sheila Bergman, W.C. (Hon.), RMT, has been an instructor at the Wellington College of Remedial Massage Therapies Inc. since 1995 and currently teaches Physiology, Pathology, Neurophysiology, Hydrotherapy and Medical Terminology.  In 1998 she became the massage therapist for the residents of the Middlechurch Home of Winnipeg Inc., a personal care home in West St. Paul.   From 2001-2007, Sheila was a volunteer member of the Palliative Care Team at Middlechurch and served as chair from 2005-2007.  In 2004, she was a guest speaker at the Hospice and Palliative Care Manitoba Annual Care Conference and since that time has facilitated the Friend in Hand/Compassionate Care course numerous times both at Middlechurch and Wellington College.