Hospice Chaplains Offer Hope, Comfort, & Peace
When the unthinkable happens, where do you turn? If you, your spouse, mom, dad, or loved one got the devastating news that they have six months (or less) to live, where would you find comfort?
It’s Spiritual Care Week. We get to honor the patient, calm, and eternally supportive chaplains who are there for us when it feels like our world has fallen apart. They show up with open hearts to hear us and be present with us in our grief. Day, night, and all hours in between, chaplains are there in some of our most desperate times of need.
Trying to manage Earth-shattering news that’s accompanied by an illness like cancer, heart disease, or other end-stage diseases can have a ripple effect. First, it hits the person diagnosed. Additionally, the grief of the illness hits everyone they love.
There are varying ways that people manage complex emotions, such as grief or anticipatory grief. Without proper support, life-limiting diseases can wreak havoc on emotions and, sometimes, behaviors. When there’s no other way, and there’s pain, fear, and devastation, hospice can help. Hospice is not only meant for the patient, but it can offer hope, comfort, and peace to families as well.
The Role of Hospice
Hospice is meant to provide pain control and comfort for the patient while offering emotional support for the patient and their family. Through hospice, patients are given control over the way they’d like to spend their last days.
Hospice tends to be underutilized but can add much comfort during an uncertain time. When we get devastating news, we all hope for a miracle. Sometimes, folks end up in denial while they wait for that miracle, which can be one reason they turn away from accepting helpful support from hospice.
A common goal for hospice patients is not to be alone when they pass. A team approach to care can be very comforting. When multiple advocates are helping a patient with the same goal in mind, it can reduce the anxiety surrounding their final days.
The Hospice Team
Each hospice team includes a medical director who approves the care plan and orders medications to manage pain, anxiety, and other symptoms. Registered nurses work with the medical directors to ensure each patient receives the support they need. Nurses can be on call 24/7 for hospice patients and their families.
A social worker is another crucial part of the team. They can offer patient counseling and, if the family has financial needs, help them access community services.
Nurse’s aides help with patient-focused care and companionship. Hospice may also include volunteers who can be present to give families a break or for added comfort. Volunteers can read books, do light housekeeping, run errands, play cards, give manicures and pedicures, or even help patients write important letters or cards.
Last but not least, each hospice team has chaplains who offer spiritual support and may assist with planning memorial and funeral arrangements. Chaplains can help patients and their families.
About Chaplain Services
Chaplains honor a patient’s spiritual beliefs, preferences, and practices. They will participate in prayer, scripture, song, and any other coordination with their preferred church/organization to ensure that each patient has a spiritual support community for themselves and their families.
Services provided by a hospice chaplain can sometimes be declined due to misconceptions about the chaplain’s true purpose on the hospice team. It’s important for families and patients to at least meet with the chaplain before they decline. A meeting can be a great time to ask questions about their role instead of relying on preconceived notions.
Here are some reasons that patients and their families may decline chaplain services:
- Patients/families think they need to already be part of an organized religion to meet with the chaplain.
- They can’t see a chaplain of another religious affiliation.
- Seeing a chaplain forces you to join a church/choose a religious ideology.
- Chaplain services cost more.
- Services from chaplains are only for the very end of life.
Having all hands on deck, including spiritual support, during a hospice journey can help significantly. According to an article from the National Library of Medicine, added support from a chaplain may even reduce pain!
Spirituality and religion are different concepts. Hospice chaplains help patients with the emotional impact that comes from facing death, whether their patients have a religious belief or not.
Connect with us at CaringEdge if you or a loved one need hospice support or if you’d like to learn more at info@caringedge.com.
