Click the star to add/remove an item to/from your individual schedule.
You need to be logged in to avail of this functionality,
and to see the links to virtual rooms.
Log in
Accepted Paper:
Massage ethnography: a novel research method to address epistemic injustice in palliative care research
Andrea Lambell
(Durham University)
Paper short abstract:
Touch facilitates communication through mechanisms that can adapt to the circumstances of vulnerable people, including those who lack capacity. Massage ethnography is a novel means for suitably qualified researchers to address the epistemic injustices of conventional end-of-life research methods.
Paper long abstract:
Palliative care research raises important ethical and practical considerations, but preventing people with deteriorating cognitive capacity and physical resources from participating in research denies them the opportunity to inform practice with their knowledge. As a result, people with dementia are frequently excluded not only from palliative care research but from the palliative care for which they are eligible. Massage ethnography is a novel means for researchers who are suitably qualified in touch therapies to use massage sessions to observe and communicate in ways that do not impact on the dignity and resources of frail patients. Touch and the therapeutic relationship facilitates communication through mechanisms that can adapt to the diverse circumstances and environments of vulnerable people, including those with dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions. This study of eight people with life-limiting conditions, including six participants with Parkinson's Disease, considers the appropriateness of using massage ethnography as a research method for people whose physical and cognitive capacities are deteriorating. It considers the circumstances in which massage ethnography might meet the ethical and practical requirements necessary to address the epistemic injustices which arise when people with reduced capacity are excluded from research. Massage ethnography offers functional mechanisms counteracting some of the physical, psychosocial, emotional and spiritual issues faced by people with declining cognition. The study shows massage ethnography has the potential to transform the evidence base for palliative care development, while at the same time offering something to enhance the lives of those who participate.