Special Needs Massage

You may be interested in treating clients with physical disabilities.

This is known as special needs massage and can include multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, vision and hearing impairments, HIV and AIDS, crippling arthritis, and many others.

Are you feeling stressed out or overwhelmed with feelings of depression? Maybe your head is pounding and it feels like it will explode. But something is holding you back from getting a massage. Perhaps it is because you have special needs and wonder if a massage therapist will even try to provide special needs massage for you.

Or maybe you are a new therapist, just out of school and wanting to grow your practice. Maybe you are wondering if you can handle the special needs that some clients may bring to you.

Can massage work for you? Will a massage therapist help you by giving you special needs massage? Most definitely. We are a caring group of medical professionals.

It all begins with communication. Let the therapist know right away that you have special needs. Tell the therapist what those needs are and he/she will show you how massage can fit into your life. Massage therapy can benefit clients with special needs.

Hearing Loss

When dealing with a client who has a hearing loss, make sure you schedule a little more time for the pre-massage interview. The most important thing for you to remember is to check to see that the client is looking at you when you speak so your lips can be read. Otherwise, you are wasting your breath and will need to repeat yourself when the client with a hearing loss does look at you.

Some hearing-impaired clients will not read lips. They use sign language. If this is the case, they may bring someone with them to communicate. If you happen to know signing, great. If not, consider taking a course or getting a book on sign language. Maintain eye contact when talking with your client. Don't shout or exaggerate the movements of your mouth.

Speak normally and enunciate clearly. It is okay to use facial expressions as you speak. If the client does not get what you are saying, try rephrasing, not repeating yourself. Don't talk slowly, just speak at your normal rate.

Clients with a hearing loss may also have a speech impediment which can lead others to think they are mentally impaired, but they are not. If the client lost his/her hearing when young, he/she may not say some words the right way. That is okay.

Do not make the client feel stupid or angry and frustrated by talking slowly or acting rudely. Give hearing-impaired clients the same respect and treatment as you do to every client. The only difference is that they must look at you when you speak.

Some clients will remove their hearing aids prior to the massage and some will leave the hearing aids in. If the client is wearing a hearing aid, do not move your hands near the ears during the massage. This causes a loud, ugly noise in the client's ear and is very uncomfortable.

Also, a hearing aid may only slightly improve the client's hearing, not fix it so do not assume that the client can hear you if he/she is not looking at you.

A client with a hearing loss should be given the same respect as all other clients. Perform this type of special needs massage as you normally would except for staying away from the ears and make sure you have the clients attention to communicate. Smile and be patient, but not patronizing.

HIV And AIDS

People tend to panic whenever someone says, "I am HIV-positive" or "I have AIDS." Understandably so. But as a medical professional, do not panic. Be prepared. Gain some knowledge. Read a book or take a CEU course about these diseases. The TV commercials are true--Knowledge is Power.

Of course, your first concern is protecting yourself from contracting HIV. In order to get it, several things must occur. First, HIV must be in a survival environment such as blood, semen, secretions from the vagina, breast milk, saliva, sweat, or tears.

Second, it has to be of a high enough amount when it enters another body. That means saliva, sweat, and tears are probably not going to give anyone this virus because saliva, sweat, and tears do not contain high amounts of HIV.

So far, there have been no known cases of anyone contracting the virus in this manner. The other body fluids mentioned above do have high enough concentrations to warrant concern and precaution.

Third, there has to be a place for the virus to enter the body. This means that just touching someone who is infected, if you do not have open cuts, is okay. Of course, the most common ways of contracting the virus are through sexual contact or blood to blood contact.

Understand that the client wanting HIV/AIDS massage is more susceptible to infections from you than you are from him/her since his/her immune system is not working at full capacity. There have been no reported cases of a massage therapist contracting the virus from a client during special needs massage. If you choose to give HIV/AIDS massage you can wear disposable gloves as a precaution.

Disposable linens can also be used, but are not necessary. If body fluids are spilled, you will want to wash the linens separately in hot water with bleach and detergent. Wipe your chair or table down with a mix of one part bleach to ten parts water. If your hands come in contact with fluids, wash them with antibacterial hand soap for two minutes.

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