Palliative Touch: Massage for People at the End of Life

Cindy Spence began her healthcare career as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Guatemala, returning to the US to complete a master's degree in public health at the University of North Carolina. She has been a massage therapist specializing in palliative care since 1999, after her father-in-law's dying wish for gentle touch inspired her to attend massage school. Since that time Cindy has completed more than 6,000 hospice massages for people with advanced and terminal illness. With her teaching partner, Susan Gee, Cindy teaches Clinical Skills for End-of-Life Massage, a nationally certified course for massage therapists and nurses. She works at the T. Boone Pickens Center for Hospice and Palliative Care in Dallas.