Complementary Therapy | Rainbows Hospice

How complementary therapy helps

Our therapies can help with symptom management, sleep, constipation and pain relief, and they’re often used to ease pain, nausea, anxiety, low mood and fatigue. Above all, they offer a chance to relax, release tension and feel a little better in body and mind. Complementary therapy doesn’t diagnose or cure illness, but it can bring real comfort alongside a child’s medical care.

We offer these therapies to babies, children and young people, and their families, at the hospice, in families’ own homes, during hospital stays and at our community hubs.

The therapies we offer

Aromatherapy and aromatherapy massage

Aromatherapy uses essential oils, drawn from plants, flowers and trees, to support physical and emotional wellbeing. Combined with massage, it makes a deeply relaxing treatment. For parents, oils can be blended for a particular need, such as sleep, pain or anxiety. For children and young people, we use only oils considered safe for them, and we don’t use essential oils on babies. Oils can also be diffused into the air, inhaled from a tissue, or added to a therapy bath or compress.

Reflexology

A gentle, non-invasive therapy applying light pressure to specific points on the feet, and occasionally the hands, which are believed to correspond to different parts of the body. It aims to promote relaxation, support pain and symptom management, and improve mood and overall wellbeing. Available to babies, children, young people, parents and siblings.

Indian head massage

Usually offered to parents, this treatment releases tension in the head, face, neck and shoulders, using gentle kneading and pressure while seated. It can be given with bare shoulders or over clothes, whichever feels more comfortable.

Positive touch

A gentle, light-touch treatment for babies, children and young people, involving holding, stroking or soft circular movements. It can help a child rebuild confidence after difficult experiences of touch in medical settings, introduced slowly and with play, at the child’s own pace.

Reiki

An ancient Japanese therapy that works with the body’s natural energy, given with or without touch and with clothes on. It aims to reduce stress and anxiety, promote deep relaxation and support pain management. Gentle and non-invasive, it’s well tolerated by children and adults alike, and complements conventional care.

Baby massage

We can show parents how to gently massage their baby, supporting bonding, relaxation, comfort and pain relief. We use only a grapeseed carrier oil, or a baby’s own creams or oils if preferred.

Facials

Offered in special circumstances, a facial can help relieve sinus congestion by working on pressure points, or simply create a treasured moment for a child or family member.