The use of human touch to improve the well-being of older adults. A holistic nursing intervention.

Touch and massage are viable nursing modalities that are both underutilized and understudied. This underuse of touch is especially noted in settings aimed at improving the well-being of older adults. A number of studies suggest that the appropriate use of touch by nurses has the potential to significantly improve the health status of older adults. In particular, touch can be useful with cognitively impaired, institutionalized, or hospitalized older adults. Likewise, touch can be useful for improving comfort and communication among terminally ill older adults and their loved ones. This article synthesizes some of the available literature on the subject while suggesting avenues for nursing practice and education aimed at using touch as a viable and cost-effective holistic gerontological nursing intervention.