End of Life Care Faculty
Tracks
Track 2
| Thursday, July 24, 2025 |
| 3:40 PM - 4:30 PM |
| Menzies Theatrette |
Overview
Presenter: Sara Karacsony
Speaker
Dr Sara Karacsony
Senior Lecturer In Nursing
University Of Tasmania
End of Life Care Faculty
3:40 PM - 4:30 PMAbstract
Care and connection through touch
Touch is our first and most fundamental means of connecting with the world and the first of our senses to develop [2]. Touch is of interest across various disciplines: nursing, behavioural (health) science, neuroscience; cognitive and social psychology. Touch is a fundamental non-verbal means of communication and can help establish authentic connection between nurses and patients. It is also a way to express care and compassion in nursing practice.
Gentle human (contact) touch has been found to confer analgesic effects on preterm infants, reducing crying time [3]. Its importance in improving the wellbeing, comfort and anxiety of older adults, including people living with advanced dementia is also documented [1]. Touch is important for wellbeing across the life span.
The impact of the pandemic, with social distancing measures, significantly reduced the amount of touch in everyday life. The increased use of gloves and personal protective equipment (PPE) was acutely felt by patients, highlighting the connection between touch and care in healthcare settings.
In this workshop, we will provide an overview of the power of touch, review the potential forms of touch within nursing practice and discuss key considerations related to nurses’ facilitation of touch. We will conduct an interactive quiz about the use of touch and engage participants around high-touch strategies that can be used across nursing specialties. This will include exploring the biological underpinnings of touch, potential physical and psychological benefits, varied preferences for touch, cultural norms and barriers. We will also address the irreplaceable component of caring that touch represents in nursing, emphasising its role in creating bonds and conveying empathy and compassion.
The workshop will be co-presented by Dr Sara Karacsony, PhD, RN, FACN, Deputy Chair, EOL Care Faculty and Ms Ashka Jolly, Advanced Nurse Consultant, Paediatric Palliative Care Service, Leadership Support, EOL Care Faculty.
References:
1. Nicholls, D., et al., Touch, the essence of caring for people with end-stage dementia: A mental health perspective in Namaste Care. Aging & Mental Health, 2013. 17(5): p. 571-578.
2. Gallace, A. and C. Spence, The science of interpersonal touch: An overview. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2010. 34(2): p. 246-259.
3. Sezer Efe, Y., et al., The effect of gentle human touch on pain, comfort and physiological parameters in preterm infants during heel lancing. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2022. 48: p. 101622.
Touch is our first and most fundamental means of connecting with the world and the first of our senses to develop [2]. Touch is of interest across various disciplines: nursing, behavioural (health) science, neuroscience; cognitive and social psychology. Touch is a fundamental non-verbal means of communication and can help establish authentic connection between nurses and patients. It is also a way to express care and compassion in nursing practice.
Gentle human (contact) touch has been found to confer analgesic effects on preterm infants, reducing crying time [3]. Its importance in improving the wellbeing, comfort and anxiety of older adults, including people living with advanced dementia is also documented [1]. Touch is important for wellbeing across the life span.
The impact of the pandemic, with social distancing measures, significantly reduced the amount of touch in everyday life. The increased use of gloves and personal protective equipment (PPE) was acutely felt by patients, highlighting the connection between touch and care in healthcare settings.
In this workshop, we will provide an overview of the power of touch, review the potential forms of touch within nursing practice and discuss key considerations related to nurses’ facilitation of touch. We will conduct an interactive quiz about the use of touch and engage participants around high-touch strategies that can be used across nursing specialties. This will include exploring the biological underpinnings of touch, potential physical and psychological benefits, varied preferences for touch, cultural norms and barriers. We will also address the irreplaceable component of caring that touch represents in nursing, emphasising its role in creating bonds and conveying empathy and compassion.
The workshop will be co-presented by Dr Sara Karacsony, PhD, RN, FACN, Deputy Chair, EOL Care Faculty and Ms Ashka Jolly, Advanced Nurse Consultant, Paediatric Palliative Care Service, Leadership Support, EOL Care Faculty.
References:
1. Nicholls, D., et al., Touch, the essence of caring for people with end-stage dementia: A mental health perspective in Namaste Care. Aging & Mental Health, 2013. 17(5): p. 571-578.
2. Gallace, A. and C. Spence, The science of interpersonal touch: An overview. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2010. 34(2): p. 246-259.
3. Sezer Efe, Y., et al., The effect of gentle human touch on pain, comfort and physiological parameters in preterm infants during heel lancing. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2022. 48: p. 101622.
Biography
Dr Sara Karacsony is a Senior Lecturer in Nursing at the University of Tasmania’s Sydney Campus. Sara’s clinical background is palliative care across specialist, community and acute palliative and supportive care services. Sara was awarded her PhD in 2018 from Western Sydney University for developing an instrument to evaluate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of nursing assistants (Unregulated Health Care Workers (UHCW)) providing a palliative approach in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). Sara’s research and teaching areas focus on workforce education and skills development in palliative care, and care and quality of life of older people. Sara joined the project team on the first Australian-funded research study into the benefits of the multisensory, psychosocial Namaste Care program for people living with advanced dementia in RACFs. She continues to promote the program’s philosophy and principles into various contexts of care as the Australian champion for Namaste Care International (NCI).
Sara is a Fellow of ACN, inaugural member of ACN’s End of Life Policy Chapter, Deputy Chair of the End-of-Life Care Faculty, member of Palliative Care Nurses Australia (PCNA) and the Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG).
