Seniors/Care Facilities

Work with Seniors and with Persons with Disabilities

Many of the Capacitar practices can be adapted and used with seniors and with persons having different kinds of disabilities. Tai Chi is excellent for problems with balance. It can also be done with a person seated in a wheelchair or using a walker. The person receives all of the benefits of improved circulation, lowering of blood pressure, etc. The acupressure points in particular are excellent for everyone. Hand massage can be done on oneself. For the person with arthritic hands this can be of great help to improve circulation and flexibility. Just suggest that they go lightly in doing the massage. With amputees and phantom limbs, the massage can be very helpful to relieve pain and tension around the tissues. Always use the principle that if pain or discomfort develops, stop doing the bodywork or the practice. Or do it lightly. Or visualize that you are doing it to receive the benefits.

Use of Practices at a Care Facility with Alzheimer Patients
Barbara Brown, RN, Wisconsin

My name is Barb Brown, and I would like to share with you the beginning of my journey in the world of self-help healing practices. Besides going back to school for a degree in Health Psychology, I am the mother of four teenagers, and I work as an RN Unit Manager at a long term care and rehab facility.

On my unit, we take care of Alzheimer's patients at the wandering stage of the disease. These people can become agitated and difficult to care for as the confusion progresses. Frequently the yelling and lashing out behaviors are treated with medications. Giving an antipsychotic medication can be helpful when disruptive behaviors could cause harm to the person, or those around them. But the cost of these medications, combined with the amount of work related to treating the many side effects, made me wonder what else could be done.

As a healthcare team, we feel we always have to be doing something to the residents to be doing our job. Through Capacitar, I began learning about self help healing practices, and informally began sharing some of the techniques with my direct care staff. It was a gradual process, but eventually the staff began to realize that being with a resident was just as important as doing something to a resident.

My first task was to convince myself that self-help healing practices could work with the Alzheimer patient. I would sit with a resident and perform a hand massage, or stand with them and gently rub their shoulders or back. I brought scented oils and played music for relaxing. By slowing down and being present with the people, the staff and I were slowly learning what was making a certain person combative, and helping them work with that need, rather than imposing our wants onto that person.

I must admit that I was hesitant to bring these principles to a healthcare facility. The contemporary medical model of healthcare tends to focus on the body and mind, and reference to spirituality brought comments about religion in the workplace. I needed to adapt the words used in the teaching of these principles in order to respect the many different religious backgrounds of my staff. Everyone understood the importance of stress reduction techniques, and as medical workers, we could see the physiological outcome that occurs when biochemical reactions take place from blocked energy.

There are 11 units at the county facility where I work, and word spread quickly. My unit had a significant reduction in psychiatric drug use, and staff turnover rates significantly reduced. The staff felt empowered, and enjoyed massaging the hands of the frail patients in their care. A spontaneous break into basic Tai Chi movements with pacing residents could stop a fight between residents, and bring a smile to staff faces. Spending time with a dying resident and their family would be a little less painful while holding the grief finger, and the middle finger was seen being held at times by staff as they began learning how to speak the truth as opposed to holding frustrations inside.

Administration encouraged me to in service the rest of the facility. To date, I have had over 400 nurses, therapists, aides, kitchen staff, and maintenance workers attend the workshops. Many people are inquiring about continuing programs, and a few of us are practicing Tai Chi at break time. Three coworkers so far have commented about the great anxiety reducer, thought field therapy, helping them to quit smoking, finally. "I was amazed the other night, while out with old friends who smoke, I consciously paid attention to my feelings, and noted that I didn't really want a cigarette." This comment was from a woman who had been addicted to smoking for over 20 years.

Some day, I would like to obtain actual statistics on the reduction of behaviors and calming medications that are needed since the staff has been using these techniques. For right now, anecdotes will have to do. Power struggles between staff have also greatly reduced. The staff are not just being told to "change your attitude" or to "relax" but have now been taught real physical ways to calm themselves. Staff, who feel they have love and control over their own lives, tend not to want to try and control others. One participant from one of the in services I held commented that "if anything, these practices help you even more to understand that we cannot control what happens around us, only our reaction to it, and we can choose how to react."

Over the last couple of weeks I have been spending less time teaching, and more time watching what is happening. My mother used to tell me " good parents work themselves out of a job." I am watching my children become responsible young adults right in front of my eyes, and my staff no longer seem to need me for solving their problems, as they have become stronger, and able now to make decisions for themselves. They have become more confident in their relationships with each other, and can be honest with each other when there is a concern or problem to be solved. I am coming to the realization that my work at this facility may soon be coming to a close. I have always known deep in my heart that institutional nursing is not where I belong for the rest of my life. Caring for people is what I enjoy doing, but the current healthcare system tends to not look at the whole person, body, mind, and spirit. This may be changing, and I am curious if I may have a role in helping to bring about that change. Capacitar has taught me physical ways to deal with emotional anxiety, but it has also allowed me to see the true connections we have between each other, and the need to be there for each other.

I am watching, and waiting to see what exciting things can happen now. I have done a retreat at my hometown church, teaching Capacitar techniques, and I have done 2-hour workshops with the high school catechism programs at the church. In May I will be doing a workshop for the general public at the Artistry in my hometown, and who knows what in the future? Finally in my life I can truly see that WE are the instruments for God's peace, and each of us have a gift to offer. It is so much fun to participate in this journey of discovering what our gift is. It can be frightening at times to step out of the comfort zone and risk being judged, or scoffed at. I have been told to be careful with the "New Age" thinking. I'm not sure what I have to be careful with, but it is too late for that. I can never go back to believing our bodies are machines that need to be fixed by mechanics. I will continue to grow, to learn, to share with others, for we are all one. We say that in our religions, let's live life like it's true.

Work with Caregivers at a Residential Facility
Helen Gallitz, CSA, Wisconsin

Once a month for the last eight months, six women and I have met for two hours to do the Capacitar wellness training. We have explored many practices that have assisted in reducing stress and in empowering us to recognize our own inner resources that are always available and abundant. These six women are connected to a residential care facility, either as staff or former staff members. All are professional caregivers. Most of the group had been doing some practices of self-care. In requesting that a group be available for my Capacitar training sessions, I was hoping that these women would be able to use the practices we were learning with the residents of the care facility. The workday for many of the women, along with their family care giving is stressful. This training would also be some relief of the stress of daily living. We met at the care center at the end of the workday. Sometimes this was a conflict for some of the women because of other meetings and responsibilities. Many came weary from a busy schedule and their energy level was at a minimum.

It was beneficial to begin each meeting with some kind of movement that emphasized simple movement, breathing, reflection and centering. Taking time to listen to one's own body, one's own energy, and one's own body wisdom assisted in renewing energy and power. This allowed a space and time between their working world and the receiving world of personal self-care and learning. Basic energy work was explored through breathwork, acupressure for self and for working with others, movement with music, group building practices, and Tai Chi. Visualization, fingerholds for balancing the emotions, Emotional Freedom Technique, and additional exploration in breathwork and acupressure were the main focus of the first few sessions. The prayer of Loving Kindness became our theme and united us to the many women, men and children throughout our community and world who are with us as we continue our healing process. The centerpiece for most meetings was arranged to include two baskets, a smaller one for our group and another one for this larger group of whom we were a part. Pictures of other Capacitar groups were included, along with other visuals that expressed the theme of that particular meeting.

During the third session we began an exploration of the chakras. Beginning with the Root Chakra we studied the other chakras at each subsequent meeting. The healing practices we studied were focused in the particular chakra that was being considered. The materials from the Capacitar manual were enhanced with practices from other resources. The session usually began with some form of releasing the stress of the workday through breathwork and movement. This was followed by an introduction and discussion of the chakra including physical exercises and toning. Other activities included visualization with a reflection time, a practice of working with another person, and review of past material. A final closing ritual concluded the session.

Many of the women appreciated the session with the work based on chakra four, the Heart Chakra. Maybe this was because it was presented in February. There was a good balance between quiet and activity, personal time and group activity, self-healing practices and working with another. There was a good flow from movement to stillness, from previously learned material to new skills, from personal care to other care. This was very noticeable in doing body movement with singing before doing visualization. This provided a marked difference for a few participants who had difficulty in quieting their minds in previous sessions.

A beautiful rapport has developed among the members of the group. There is a wonderful sharing of vulnerability and a deep appreciation for the giftedness of each one. The women are very open to the variety of practices being presented. Some of the practices that became meaningful were the various ways that we centered with movement, meditative comments, and sometimes music or singing. Doing hand massage was significant for those who shared this practice with family members. In the comments following the sessions, several felt empowered by focusing and centering. They found the time peaceful, relaxing, comfortable, energizing, and mutually supportive.

The women used the practices taught for relief of their stress and for their healing and wellness. Some of the changes experienced during these months are found in the statements of the participants: "I am more at home with myself." "I am more conscious of my breathing." "I am more aware of the energy of the earth and heaven and this is available for me." "I use breathwork for relaxation during the workday." "The sessions helped me most to see that I can be empowered by my own inner resources. Thanks for starting me on the road to healing." "This has helped me be a more holistic person and I sense a unity of body, mind and spirit."

Work with Retired Religious
Janet Ahler, CSA, Wisconsin

"I am so refreshed, so peaceful, so at ease at being with others, and have such inner joy after I go to these classes" this spoken by an eighty year-old retired religious. Since I began my Capacitar classes I have been sharing with twenty-five to thirty religious women all of whom are retired from active ministry. The age of the Sisters ranges from early seventies to mid-nineties.

In the Spring of 2000 I agreed to become the Wellness Coordinator for a program that had begun two years previously. That program consisted of Yoga, Meditation, Aerobics and Tai Chi. At present the Yoga and Aerobics components continue and I share my Capacitar experiences on another day.

Early in my ministry as an instructor in professional nursing I had a deep desire to learn as much a I could about wellness and it's alternatives. As I came to the close of several years in administration of a retirement facility I was free to choose to become an active participant of the in-house wellness program. The Sisters are finding this program a strong force of enrichment in their lives.

Over the past year the group has met once a week for an hour in the mid-morning. During that time we have focused on Breathwork, Mindfulness, Guided Imagery, Tai Chi, Finger Holds, Acupressure, Massage, Thought Field Therapy, Reflexology of the hands, and work with the chakras. We have a large, comfortable space to gather in, and there is an appreciation for gathering in a large circle with a centerpiece of a live plant or flowers and a colorful cloth. We have met approximately thirty times since the program began.

Outcomes of this program are an increase in inner peace, a mindfulness of the global community of peoples and a joy in remembering them in prayer, increased ability to achieve lessening of anxiety, physical discomfort, shortness of breath and muscle tension, increase in energy and bodily movement and a growing knowledge that there are resources beyond medicine to achieve wellness. The Sisters constantly invite new community members to "come and see" the program that helps them feel so well.

This experience has been a ministry of joy for me. I find that I leave each session very energized. I personally use the program content and I experience the same outcomes in myself. An added joy is that I find that members of the group are teaching what they have learned to others in their home units. There seems to be a constant excitement about the program and an eagerness to continue coming. I believe there is an evident ripple effect throughout the facility: a pervasive peacefulness and energy for goodness.

Comments from the Participants:

"The gentle movements of Tai Chi have helped my stiff and painful shoulders keep flexible. I appreciate the exposure to various modalities; it is very helpful to learn what works for me."

"I use what we have learned as resources when a need arises. I have experienced relief from headaches, minor pain, lack of energy. I do some kind of exercises almost every day. It helps my arms and legs move easier."

"The exercises are so gentle and so prayerful, and I have been doing some every morning and it helps me to pray for everyone."

"I have appreciated the different phases of self-help, self-healing that you have given us.