Although integrating alternative therapies into healthcare services in France is challenging, I aspire to establish a hospital unit where Shiatsu practitioners can be called to a patient’s bedside whenever a caregiver sees the need. My dream is to develop Shiatsu by raising awareness and making it accessible to as many people as possible.
In the Spotlight
Fatma Can
fat.can21@gmail.com
I am 57 years old and have been a qualified nurse since June 1990. Having worked in various departments, including surgery and medicine, I have now been working for 22 years in a palliative care unit with 15 beds for terminal patients with all types of cancer.
What makes this unit special is that we essentially accept patients who have been refused curative treatment. We also take patients in pain, with complicated care needs or who are difficult to approach. On the other hand, we also sometimes receive patients who come from their home when care has become difficult or even impossible for the families. We have a hospitalisation period of about a fortnight in the department, although we do sometimes keep people for longer. 90% of our patients die here.
In addition to the conventional nursing care I provide, I am able to provide Shiatsu treatments, depending on the patient’s needs.
Foreword
I look after cancer patients experiencing pain that is not relieved by current therapies. Some patients are anxious and in fear of death, while others are short of breath for various reasons.
Shiatsu sessions for the patients can last anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. The treatments are very highly appreciated and patients look out for me when I am on duty. Results vary from one person to another, of course, but on the whole, it relaxes them. I also do Shiatsu for two hours a week for colleagues who request it. These treatments generally last about 30 minutes.
A colleague and I volunteer once or twice a year to give Shiatsu to women with breast cancer who are undergoing treatment. In all we provide about one hour of Shiatsu to about ten people.
“I aspire to establish a hospital unit where Shiatsu practitioners can be called to a patient’s bedside whenever a caregiver sees the need.”
FATMA CAN
