Spiritual Care in a Crisis
Even if an individual has been dealing with health concerns for a long time, the realization that they are approaching the end of their life can be a crisis moment for both them and their family. Hospice chaplains are trained to provide spiritual care to patients and families as they navigate the existential, relational, religious, and spiritual issues that may come up during this time.
Benefits of Spiritual Care at End of Life
Spiritual care is an important part of hospice care. When someone is approaching end of life, it is common to have spiritual questions – even if the person doesn’t follow a specific religion or doesn’t believe in God. They may still wonder about what happens after death, the meaning of life, and whether they made a difference in the lives of others.
Chaplains can help patients work through these concerns. Some of the benefits of spiritual care at end of life include:
- Providing a compassionate and supportive presence
- Offering words of wisdom and advice that bring comfort and peace
- Support for the patient’s culture and religion
- Providing the opportunity to review their life, rectify past mistakes, and understand how meaningful their life has been
- Relief of spiritual and emotional pain and suffering
Spiritual Care Services
Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care chaplains are an essential part of the whole-patient care we provide.
For a devout patient who is no longer well enough to attend religious services, our chaplains can lead prayers and read to them from the Bible. If the patient wishes to see a priest, rabbi, imam, or other religious leader from their own religious institution, our chaplains can reach out to their religious community and arrange for a visit.
If a patient is more interested in working through their feelings of doubt, regret, fear, or other emotions, our chapins can provide spiritual counseling and guidance.
Our chaplains are also available to the patient’s family to support their emotional and spiritual journey through this difficult time. They can help guide difficult conversations between family members to address past hurts, answer the spiritual questions family may have, advise on the religious aspects of funeral arrangements, or just be a shoulder to cry on.
Crossroads provides care to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of patients facing serious and terminal illness. To learn more about our services, please call 1-888-564-3405.
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