How Spiritual Care is Given
Because spiritual care is deeply personal, our care services are tailored to each patient’s specific beliefs and needs. Our care team will start with an assessment to fully understand the patient’s spiritual needs and collaborate on how to provide access to this type of care.
Sometimes, this can be provided through chaplain services that allow patients to express their feelings. Spiritual care can also be provided by a religious leader of the patient’s choice or by providing access to religious texts.
Spiritual care can look like:
- Family meetings
- Spiritual guidance
- Non-judgmental emotional support
- Connection to community resources
The Goals of Spiritual Care in Hospice
The goals of spiritual care in hospice aim to promote inner peace and emotional comfort, facilitate open conversations, strengthen connections, honor individual beliefs and values and guide families through the end-of-life transition. Spirituality is about meaning, connection and peace and therefore is not limited to religion.
- Emotional support. The emotional needs of the patient are just as important as the physical. During this period, it’s common for patients to experience complex emotions like anger, grief, and fear. Spiritual care can help address these feelings through counseling, meditation and difficult conversation guidance.
- Bereavement care. The end-of-life stage can be scary for patients and their loved ones. Spiritual care helps patients cope with these families and provides family members with coping methods for grief, answering questions, and preparing them for what comes next.
- Finding purpose and closure. We do find that some patients will experience hopelessness and question their existence during the end-of-life stage of a terminal illness. Our spiritual care counselors can help patients work through these feelings and find purpose in life. This is also a great opportunity to bring closure in their life by facilitating open communication. without fear or judgment, with patient’s loved ones.
