You can see the logic. Older people with dementia may become frightened and restless, angry or excited. Reiki healing, Japanese practice which supposedly channels universal energy is soothing and deeply relaxing. So why not offer Reiki elderly dementia patients?
Partners home care, home care-for-profit institution in Washington, received two years of Federal Administration on Aging to give it a try and had just finished his studies in Reiki 36 assistants. The following year, the Agency will offer Reiki training, family care and workers in adult day programs.
"Relieves stress, reduce anxiety and it can help reduce the pain," said Maria Müller, Manager of the Agency's education and training to Reiki Master. "We hope that our clients with dementia who became agitated and stressed will find Reiki calming" — and thus will be less bothered when aides to help them to bathe or dress or eat.
Even at this early stage, Ms. Mueller said aides are beginning to see benefits. One reported that Reiki, which places the gentle hand on the patient's body and clothing (or just above it) at designated positions, helps the customer from painful arthritis. "She can feel the warmth and her knees hurt her less," says Ms. Müller. The helper can observe it better walk ".
Dozens of hospitals are also believers. Hospital in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for example, two and a half dozen practitioners and volunteers offer free Reiki for all patients, family members and staff last year, delivering more than 2100 sessions.
"People say they feel just calms," said Christina Niles, Director of the hospital, citing patient Reiki. "Personally I think Healing Reiki. Not everyone in the hospital agree, but everyone thinks that people find better later. "
Fly in this particular ointment: scant credible evidence of effectiveness. "There were no adequate studies to draw any conclusion about what does Reiki or not, or even, from a scientific point of view which strips," said Dr. Nassim Assefi, a therapist in Seattle who studies alternative medicine.
Most studies have obvious shortcomings of Reiki: how many patients are too low, or no randomized or blinded experiment — meant that patients seek Reiki out (and thus more likely to find it useful) and know what they get. Assistants at home care partners will fill out surveys, reporting changes they observe in their clients receiving Reiki, but without verification, also is a subjective measure.
One of the few strictly controlled, randomized and blinded study is the gold standard in Western medicine was Dr. Assefi's own, involving 100 patients secondary fibromyalgia in Seattle. Were they randomly assigned standard treatment hands Reiki Masters, Reiki to "distance", in which the master is "Healing intention" from two meters, or fake Reiki from unskilled actor who mimicked the position, the results were the same: no significant improvement in symptoms after eight weeks of treatment twice a week.
However, Dr. Assefi, who prepared in Reiki and acupuncture, among other alternative therapies, said that her patients Reiki.
You can discuss whether it makes sense to promote Eastern therapy when Western research methods does not document its value. "What do you do when science really doesn't?" Dr. Assefi mused. "Should he be insurance coverage? Should we spend money on this? "grant home care partners, for example, comes to $ 250.000 over two years.
But it's also true, according to the National Center for complementary and alternative medicine (part of the national institutes of health) in the practice of safely, without serious side effects are reported. If you can calm down people, Reiki with dementia, regardless of whether the effect measure, maybe it's a good addition to the toolbar.
If you've tried strips, or senior friend or relative, I'd love to hear about your experiences.
Meanwhile, Mrs Müller, who used Reiki to relieve nausea and tiredness with cancer, whose 90-year-old mother appreciates it, planning to be happy. "Everyone would be another way," she said. "But we really hope that we will see some positive results.
Paula span is the author of "when the time comes: families with aging parents share their struggles and solutions."
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