Thursday 10th October 2024
Showground, Wadebridge

Massaging People who have Dementia

Nicolle Mitchell, massage practitioner, who developed and delivers an award winning course “Massaging People who have Dementia” was recently shortlisted for another award, becoming one of the finalists for the Holistic Therapy Magazine’s Inspiration Award in London Olympia on 4th October. This is the second time Nicolle has had her work in the field of dementia recognised.

Dementia affects in excess of 800,000 people in Britain. Dementia is a debilitating organic brain disease that affects cognition and memory, and means that people who suffer are often living in constant fear and isolation.

Nicolle’s aim is to train therapists, carers and professionals across the UK, to inspire people to use everyday opportunities to use nurturing touch to improve daily life for people living with dementia, or to give bodywork therapists confidence and specialist skills to enhance their practice and open up new opportunities to deliver excellent treatments to improve quality of life with dignity. Here is her story:

Over a decade ago I was given a wonderful opportunity to work in a care l home where most residents were people living with dementia. I wanted to know more about dementia and how to approach this very isolated client group.

I began to research in earnest looking for a course which would help me on my journey, and although there were massage courses for cancer and other health issues, there were none for dementia. I did however attend a most profound course by Penny Garner, a specialist in dementia care, which spurred me on.

While I was on this journey of discovery, I decided to pull everything together and create a course. I worked closely with my professional bodies and colleagues who specialised in this field, spending nearly two years developing the content and a comprehensive manual.

My course was finally fully accredited by the Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT) and the Complementary Therapist Association (CThA) and by September 2010 I delivered my first course in my local community in Cornwall.

Within a year I had demand to deliver a course in London and by 2012 I won an award for “Innovation ~ Excellence in Practice” with the FHT. Since then I have been invited to deliver this course by the FHT in Birmingham and deliver workshops and presentations at their national congress in Nottingham.

I was invited by The Haven charity near Glasgow who work with life limiting illnesses and people who are managing the end of their life and twice delivered this course for their therapists. I was also invited by Active Lightworks charity in Brighton to deliver the course to their therapists who deliver massage for donations at memory cafes in the Brighton area to people who live with dementia and also to their very needy carers.

I now deliver this course regularly in Brighton, London, and Cornwall and will be adding Glastonbury to my list of regular venues next year as well as delivering further afield upon request.

Feedback from the courses has been excellent and helps me improve future training. Therapists regularly report spring-boarding into a new field with confidence, knowing they can contact me if they need ongoing support.

“I thought the day was extremely well balanced and was thrilled to have learned so much in one day. A beautiful combination of theory, practical and group participation. Nicolle managed to make what was a jam packed and in parts intense training day extremely enjoyable. A very informative, enlightening session, delivered with real presence, integrity and passion, infused along the way with gently humorous case studies. In the delivery of the training day Nicolle embodies the way she works with her clients and leaves us as practitioners with something brilliant to aspire to. Thank you so much for an excellent day”

Louise MacDonald, Therapist, The Haven, Blantyre

I still constantly research in this field with an endeavor to keep my course relevant, up to date and to ensure that students who attend feel they can truly bring together all aspects of working in this field e.g. legal, practical, ergonomic, emphatic, respectful, remembering to underpin this with truly looking after themselves and setting excellent examples with our industry. My manual is constantly being tweaked!

My personal practice thrives in my local community and I still go to the same nursing home offering nurturing touch services as well as offer home visits to individuals who benefit from the wonderful effects of massage, easing pain, reducing their isolation, increasing their sense of self -worth and confidence and offering home support plans to help them between visits.

I am constantly inspired by people I meet who live with dementia; my mum whose humour always shines through despite her condition, and my grandma when she was alive, who also had great humour and was nobody’s fool right to the end . I am lucky that so many people, especially mum have had the courage, and faith in me to give me tremendous insight into their condition to enable me to practice with greater integrity and deliver a course with passion.”

 

Nicolle Mitchell, ITEC Dip, MFHT, CThA

Massage Practitioner and Trainer

The Little Massage Clinic, The Oak Tree Wellbeing Centre, 4 The Square, Portreath, TR16 4LA

Tel: 078999 44650

www.massagefordementia.co.uk

Email: nicolle@tlcinabottle.co.uk

www.thelittlemassageclinic.co.uk

Facebook: Massage for Dementia & Connectivity