Linda Prussick: Journey of a Clinical Aromatherapist in a Palliative Environment
Journey of a Clinical Aromatherapist in a Palliative Environment
Linda Prussick
In this presentation Linda will discuss
Complementary Therapy: a very brief description
Palliative/End-of-Life Care: definition & very brief general description of this specialty as offered in Ontario hospitals & hospices
Inspiration for becoming a Complementary Therapist/Clinical Aromatherapist including her mentors and building her ‘magic box’ of modalities
Brief history of the Integrated Complementary Therapy Program at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital Palliative Care Unit and Hill House Hospice instituted as a pilot project in 2010 by UK nurse & Complementary Therapist, Marianne Tavares, & Mackenzie Health Palliative Care physician, Dr. Brian Berger.
What it’s like working in both a large institution and a small one-of-a-kind hospice as part of an interdisciplinary care team: environments, Care Teams
Aromatherapy and combined modalities in these environments: duties, challenges, collaborations
How this important work has changed Linda’s life and outlook: gratitude, joy, compassion, grief, new insights, and the need for self-care
Biography
Linda Prussick, CAHP, is a practicing Complementary Therapist with a focus on providing Palliative and End-of-Life comfort care. She is part of a rare group of Complementary Therapists who are on staff at an Ontario hospital. Even more unique, she is one of two Complementary Therapists at her medical institution whose practice implements Aromatherapy.
Linda officially embarked on her Complementary Therapy journey in 2005 as a Volunteer with the Hospice Thornhill day program ‘the Gathering Place’. In 2013, she began as a Volunteer Complementary Therapist in the Palliative Care Unit at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital (formerly York Central Hospital) and, in 2018, she was hired by the hospital as well as Hill House Hospice in Richmond Hill, joining CFA member Marianne Tavares, becoming their second paid Complementary Therapist with a focus on Clinical Aromatherapy.
Linda is a certified member of the Canadian Federation of Aromatherapists and received her training with Danielle Sade at Healing Fragrances School of Aromatherapy. She is also certified in Hand and Foot Reflexology, and is a Reiki Practitioner.
Linda has a love of learning and sharing knowledge. She has a background in Multidisciplinary Art and has been a Visual Arts Educator for over 30 years.
In 2021, she was invited by Heart House and Dorothy Ley Hospices to re-design a hands-on program that would allow Hospice Volunteers to safely provide simple, gentle, stress-reducing touch techniques to Patients, Clients and their families. In 2022, Linda introduced Gentle Aroma Touch (GAT) workshops to both of these hospices. And the adventure continues.
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