A TOUCHING gesture

By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
"With elderly people and those who are ill, the world stops touching them," says Kim Fitch Tharp, licensed massage therapist. "They are seen as fragile. They become untouchable, so they begin to lose that connection."
Tharp, of Pulaski, Pa., began her career in geriatrics nearly 30 years ago. She became certified at KSU as a resident activities coordinator in 1976, when nursing homes were first required to have structured activities for their clients. In 1978, she began working in the VA hospital detox ward in Yontville, Calif., in Napa Valley.
She watched as other workers silently did their job, never talking to or touching their patients, and realized that what the patients needed most was someone to talk to them, to smile, touch them, and let them know they were worthy of love.
Tharp began playing music they would remember, and other activities that would create an atmosphere of healing, nurturing, and caring.
She came back
Nineteen years ago, Tharp returned to this area and continued her work at Villa Maria, Pa., working with retired Sisters of the Humility of Mary. She became licensed in massage therapy 11 years ago, a natural synthesis of her love for the elderly and her belief in the healing power of touch. She also has her own practice, and her clients include everyone from the elderly to babies.
"Touch is a gift," says Tharp, "and with the elderly, it can restore them physically. But more important, it can be a form of communication, companionship. It can be spiritual, reassuring, loving. Helen Keller could read the world through her hands."
With every massage, Tharp begins with a moment of spiritual grounding, a prayer, deep breathing, and recognition that the healing comes from the divine, or however each client interprets their higher power.
She then moves her hands over the client's electrical field and feels for temperature changes and blocks in the energy, ending with her hands on the forehead, for calmness and relaxation. Tharp says, "We enter into a recognition of the eternal and the universal, and from there, I can begin the mechanical aspect of massage, restoration based on the client's needs."
Sister Jane Bayne is Tharp's most senior client at age 100. She is a retired teacher, having taught grades 5-8 for 50 years. This woman of wisdom made a conscious choice to incorporate massage into her health maintenance to remain mobile and active. Massage allows her body to be as sharp as her mind.
Muscle work
Typically, Tharp uses Swedish-style massage on Sister Jane, long strokes and gentle compression of the calf and thigh muscles, which strengthens and softens, and frees up nerves. "Our muscles begin to harden after age 50 because they lose moisture," says Tharp. "Massage makes the muscles flexible again."
With the elderly, losing their sense of balance is often an important issue. "Massage makes one pay attention to every part of the body," says Tharp. "The feet reflect any postural distortion or compromise. To the elderly, the feet and balance are critical."
Tharp does reflexology on Sister Jane's feet, to create circuits between the brain and other parts of the body. She begins with the big toe, to connect signals from the brain to the foot, and from there, massages other parts of the feet to stimulate other organs.
Tharp also uses a variety of essential oils to activate the body's chemistry, if the client can tolerate them. She puts them on her hands before beginning massage. Some of her favorites are rosemary, which has a soothing, medicinal effect. Clary sage or peppermint can be stimulating if the client feels sluggish, and lavender has a calming effect. If someone is feeling down, Tharp likes red grapefruit, and uses fennel seed oil if a client is injured.
Stretching and exercise
In addition to massage, Tharp leads group stretching and exercises for the elderly. She says the average age is 78 to 80 in her stretching group. "We always start with a joke", she says. "It's called 'limber up and laugh.' Then we quiet down, breathe deeply, and recognize the divine. We ground our feet to the earth, open our heads to the sky, and visualize healing."
Tharp says she uses a combination of T'ai Chi, yoga and AARP exercises. In one exercise, the participants extend their right foot, holding the back of a chair if necessary. "They become consciously aware of how their foot is centered, and notice where the strengths and weaknesses are. Then they switch to extend their left foot." They also include stretches for the arms and other exercises in the routine.
XLaughing Crow is a practitioner of holistic healing. She may be reached at laughingcrow@neo.rr.com.