Legacy Handprint

Purpose & Goals

  • Therapeutic Aim: Support emotional connection between patient and family through collaborative art that honors touch, presence, and relationship.

  • Emotional Goals: Create a lasting keepsake and offer comfort through physical connection.

Theoretical Rationale

  • Touch and physical closeness are powerful in end-of-life care.

  • Creating handprint artwork together facilitates nonverbal bonding, legacy-making, and ritualized farewell.

  • This aligns with attachment-based, family systems, and grief-informed therapeutic models.

Target Population

Hospice patients and their family members (adult children, partners, grandchildren). Adaptable for patients with limited cognition or alertness. Especially appropriate in in-patient or bedside settings.

Materials

  • Mixed media paper (8x10, 9x12, or larger depending on space)

  • Watercolor (for background to create high contrast with inked handprint)

  • Masking tape (for clean borders, optional)

  • Washable ink pads or non-toxic paint for handprints

  • Baby wipes/towels for cleanup

  • Optional: markers to add names, dates, or messages

Art-Making

a. Introduction

  • “This is a way to create something together to symbolize your connection.”

b. Background Painting

  • Patient and/or family choose meaningful or favorite colors.

  • Option to tape the paper’s border to create a clean edge when removed.

  • Paint the background however they like — solid wash, gentle blending, symbolic colors, or abstract strokes.

c. Handprint Placement

  • Once dry, each participant inks or paints their hand.

  • Place one or more hands on the paper. They can overlap, nest together, face outward, etc

  • If patient is not alert/oriented:

Prompts for Reflection

  • “What moments do you remember holding each other’s hands?”

  • “Would you like to say or write something to go with it?”

Emotional Safety & Adaptation

  • Be sensitive to anticipatory grief, physical frailty, and fatigue.

  • Normalize tears, silence, laughter, and touch as part of the process.

  • Affirm: “There is no wrong way to do this.”

Expected Therapeutic Outcomes

  • Provides a meaningful collaborative ritual of connection and farewell.

  • Supports grief processing for family through tangible remembrance.

  • Honors patient identity and relationships, even when verbal communication is limited.

Follow-up & Integration

  • Invite family to take the piece home or place it near the bedside.

  • Optionally repeat with other visitors or create multiple versions.

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