Hospice and Palliative care Nutrition

Enhancing comfort, connection, and quality of life.

Nurse with stethoscope listening to childs heart.

When a person enters hospice care, the focus shifts from curative treatment to comfort, dignity, and quality of life. At this stage, integrative therapies—such as aromatherapy, massage therapy, and music therapy—play a unique and vital role in supporting not only patients, but also their families and care teams.

These therapies honor the whole person—body, mind, and spirit—and help ease the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges that may arise at the end of life.

Aromatherapy: Comfort Through Scent

Aromatherapy is non-invasive and easily adaptable—whether through diffusers, roller bottles, or small inhalers. It creates moments of peace and sensory connection when words may no longer be available.

For people receiving hospice care, aromatherapy offers a non-invasive, soothing approach to common symptoms like:

  • Anxiety & Agitation
  • Pain & Tension
  • Nausea
  • Fatigue or Low Mood

Essential oils engage sense, spark memory and comfort, and support relaxation—especially important when words or medications alone aren’t enough.

Massage Therapy: Touch That Heals

Massage therapy in hospice care goes beyond basic physical intervention, supporting symptom management, relaxation, and overall patient comfort. With skilled, compassionate touch, massage therapy can help:

  • Ease muscle tension and pain
  • Alleviate constipation
  • Promote circulation and reduce edema
  • Support relaxation, especially for those experiencing anxiety or restlessness

Therapists use gentle techniques tailored to each patient’s condition, and always with consent and sensitivity. Even a short session can bring relief and a sense of being cared for in a deeply personal way.

Music Therapy: Creating Calm and Connection

Music therapy taps into memory, emotion, and identity. It reaches people even when they are no longer responsive to spoken language. A board-certified music therapist may use techniques using familiar songs, playing instruments, or rhythm and melody to:

  • Ease pain and anxiety
  • Reduce symptoms of agitation and restlessness
  • Support emotional expression and reminiscence
  • Alleviate respiratory distress
  • Offer emotional support and comforting presence for patients and families
  • Create legacy moments—such as recording a personalized song or heartbeat

Music becomes a bridge—connecting people to their past, to loved ones, and to themselves. Through evidenced-based interventions, music therapy provides physical and emotional comfort, helping patients find purpose and calm throughout the end-of-life journey.

Whole-Person Comfort at the End of Life

What makes these therapies so powerful is their ability to bring humanity and dignity to care. Integrative therapies are not separate from medical care; they enhance it, bringing additional layers of comfort, connection, and integrity in ways that traditional medicine alone cannot touch. They help create a sacred, supportive space—whether at home, in a facility, or bedside during a final moment.

Hospice care is not about giving up—it’s about leaning in. With integrative therapies like aromatherapy, massage therapy, and music therapy, we offer more than comfort; we offer presence, individualized care, and a reminder that even at the end of life, meaningful moments can still be created.

More Information

Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness care offers a full array of Integrative Therapies to our adult and pediatric patients in our care.

For more information, please contact us directly at 815.740.4104 or learn more about integrative therapies here.