Touch therapy comforts fragile patients
| Tuesday, Apr 06 2010 02:44 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Apr 06 2010 02:44 PM
David Dowdy will be teaching a 24-hour touch therapy class at Bakersfield Bodywork & Massage Supplies at 2010 18th St.
Class dates are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 24, and Saturday, May 1, and Sunday, May 2. Total cost is $440 and you must register by April 14.
For more information, call 327-0634.
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David Dowdy, right, works with patient Charlie Myers.
Therapist David Dowdy with his patient Charlie Myers.
Charlie Myers suffered a stroke a year and a half ago that paralyzed the right side of his body and left him barely able to speak.
Now one of the few things he looks forward to are his sessions with massage therapist David Dowdy.
"Charlie can't say my name, but he can say 'Dave' and smile when I ask him who comes on Mondays," Myers' wife Connie said.
Dowdy is certified in touch therapy, which he performs on patients whose bodies are too fragile for regular massage.
Many of Dowdy's patients have terminal illnesses. In some cases, all he can do is place a hand on a person's head or shoulder because their bodies can't stand much pressure.
The important thing is to never stop the physical connection during a session, whether it's 15 minutes or more than an hour, Dowdy said. Each person is different, but typically Dowdy applies a gentle touch with a flowing, kneading movement to it. He also talks to his clients and lets them know they can just relax and let him take care of them.
"It's a very slow motion," Dowdy said. "I'm constantly watching their face for any wincing or signs of discomfort."
Dowdy said patients appreciate what he calls a "loving touch" because they've been through so much impersonal prodding and poking in the course of their illness. He said family members often call him when a patient's dying so he can be there at the end because he's spent such an intensely personal time with them.
Hoffman Hospice volunteer coordinator Kim Pounder said Dowdy began volunteering his services to the hospice in August of 2008. She hadn't heard of touch therapy before, but she thought it was a great idea and was struck by Dowdy's enthusiasm.
Pounder said Dowdy has proven to be extremely valuable to hospice patients.
"It's incredible the peace he brings to people," Pounder said.
Dowdy said he worked in everything from geology to steel fabrication design before deciding to take massage classes in 2006. In an effort to continue his education with training not offered in Bakersfield, he decided to take a touch therapy course in Citrus Heights.
The idea of providing comfort to those near death appealed to him, Dowdy said. He realized he'd found his calling.
"I don't know that there was any one thing about it; something just hit my wires," Dowdy said.
The Myers family is grateful Dowdy decided to pursue touch therapy. Connie Myers said her husband was a brilliant engineer who had worked for Texaco and Getty. A lot of his happiness vanished after he suffered the stroke.
But after a few sessions with Dowdy, Charlie Myers was able to relax and eventually they were able to decrease his pain medications because his body responded so well to the therapy. Connie Myers said she cried during the first therapy session because she could see the peace on her husband's face.
"(Touch therapy) is a really bright spot in Charlie's week," she said.
