Therapeutic

Touch

A caring touch can work wonders

by Donna G. Albrecht

“Iguess I’d give anything to get physical affection,” says Carol*, a former gymnast who lives in Nevada. She has had slowly progressive ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) over roughly two decades, but early in the disease her husband and caregiver became distant — “figured I’d die in a few years,” she says.

Carol’s problem is not uncommon. “From birth, all human beings need to be touched. We need and desire to be touched, to be reassured that someone is connected to us, cares for us, finds us acceptable or even desirable,” says Roberta Greenberg, a licensed social worker with the MDA Forbes Norris Clinic in San Francisco.

Touch deprivation

People who have serious physical disabilities, like Carol, need physical signs of caring as much as anyone. However, there are times when many people with disabilities get the impression that their caregivers find them a burden to be borne, a set of chores to be done.

When muscle diseases progress to the point that people need caregiving, spouses sometimes stop being sexual, and the person with the disease may become withdrawn, angry, depressed. “They may feel worthless and despondent, but may not say anything openly for fear of more rejection,” says Greenberg.