Voices of the Bay: Bristol’s Jamie Boiani

As a young girl, Jamie Boiani discovered the power of touch when she would massage her mother’s back after a busy workday. These days, the Bristol resident brings her therapeutic powers to the Providence Veterans Administration Medical Center, where she is a full-time massage therapist in the Wellness Center. Throughout her career, Boiani has witnessed firsthand the intrinsic benefit of touch in relieving her patients’ physical and emotional pain. She received her massage therapy certificate from Lincoln Technical Institute and is certified in a range of specialties, including pregnancy massage, myofascial release, lymphatic drainage, trigger point therapy, neuromuscular therapy, and kinesio taping, to name a few. Boiani, who has been a licensed massage therapist for 19 years, also works the odd weekend at Mosaic Wellness Boutique in Tiverton. 

LITTLE FINGERS: My mother had a very physical job; she always came home with a backache, and she’d always ask me to massage it. She always felt better. One time, she couldn’t open her hand. So when I worked on it, and this is me not knowing what I’m doing, she was able to open and close it. I became everyone’s massage therapist in the family. It always made me feel good that I could help.

AHA MOMENT: We were “forced” to go to college. We didn’t have a choice, and I didn’t really know what to do at first. When I took Intro to Massage at CCRI, I thought, “This is what I want to do.” So I went to Lincoln Tech for my certificate. I knew at the time it was a job that didn’t come with all the perks, like benefits and a 401 retirement plan, but I still did it.

WELLNESS CARE: At the Providence VA, medical massages fall under acute care. It’s kind of like physical therapy, with four to five appointments per week. If progress is being made, we can extend it and go further out without getting a massage. Veterans can ask their primary care physician for a referral.

FIRST STEP: I like to think I create a calm and safe environment. We start with a conversation, and I ask the patient a series of questions. I keep a lot of data from the questions I ask them, so next time I see them, I can determine how much the medical massage is benefiting them.

HIDDEN PAIN: I always tell them, whatever is being said here, stays in here. I’m really surprised by how open they can get with me. Everyone has a different story. Some tell me about what has happened to them, and it’s a lot to take in. I can massage a spot, and it can bring up a lot of emotion. I’ve learned more about what happens in war since I’ve worked there, from the stories of those who’ve been there.

HANDS-ON: A lot of my patients are over 80, and when they were young, touch wasn’t a thing. It is really nice to see that they are open to massage and they want and need it. The value of physical touch is so important as people get older, especially if you live alone. Even if it’s someone’s hand on the shoulder, touch is so valuable to the human connection.

HEALING TOUCH: If there’s little treatment to be done for a disease, therapeutic touch can help. I had a patient with the end stages of ALS who was in hospice care. When I checked up on him, the hospice nurse said he was very down, and I suggested they bring in a massage therapist. Though he was failing physically, his mood improved, and he was in better spirits from some light touch therapy.

GRATITUDE: The veterans are all so very grateful for my work. They call me “Magical Hands.” It is a huge honor to work with them and be part of their wellness team.