REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE

Was a beautiful line in an ad. In life we need touch. Little children crawl all over us. Everyone wants to hold the baby. Teenagers push us away. As we age, our intimate moments may decline. A good morning hug! A good-bye kiss, a cuddle on the couch, reading side by side to children before bedtime or sitting closely together gives opportunities for touch. What about the patient sick in bed? What about the elderly person who has lost a spouse? Who fills the gap for touch in their lives? Pets are good but take work. So giving your 86 year old grandmother, a dog that needs care and walking may be good for touch but create other problems for her! How can you put some good touches back in a person's life? Holding a patient's hand at bedside works! Shaking hands work! The hairdresser massages the head with a good shampoo! Hockey brings body checking- hum, maybe a different touch! Family group hugs! Holding hands! A good psychologist once said people need 12 hugs a day for maintenance! Sometimes though we may need to be careful- people with dementia or others with paranoid thinking may misinterept touches.  It is more challenging to reach out to them. Could the blankets, slippers, sweaters be warm and fussy bringing some nice comfy touches in their lives? Little children may carry a favourite toy for comfort. Should we be giving our elderly a stuffed animal too for comfort? Does lack of touch lead to loneliness? Touching- room for thought!