Simon
Certified Member
What makes supporting the human spirit more than just a job?
To me, as a chaplain dedicated mostly to palliative care beds, supporting the human spirit is a meaningful professional path because I believe I facilitate “good deaths” for my patients – religious or not. Some therapeutic spiritual conversations lead to family reconciliations and forgiveness. I offer end-of-life preparation support to patients and anticipatory grief support to loved ones at the bed side. When patients are non-responsive, I offer one-way-conversations, to ease the dying process. I some time make the dying (who may have been reported looking scared) …smile two minutes before they die. I believe I help patients die spiritually healed; I find fulfilment when I know I have done the best for this patient and that family – yes this is a meaningful professional path for me.
Share an example of when spiritual care made a meaningful impact
The chaplain: Hi Michael…. (not resident’s real name)
Michael: Hi, what are you doing here?
C: I came to visit you;
M: Why, you are the chaplan who says prayer on Rembrance Day, on November 11;
C: Yes, I am.
M: I don’t want you here; I am an atheist.
C: That’s fine Michael; I did not come to talk to you about religion, prayer, God or the Bible; I came to visit you as a friend; I’m not here to talk about anything to do with religion – but just to be with you; if that’s okay for you.
M: Okay.
I offered three visits in three weeks, each lasting about 20 minutes; often just sitting with this resident; other times Michael would respond to a few o=verbal interventions.
At this point, Michael’s treatment had been downgraded to comfort measures only – and he was hardly eating. During this down turn in his health, Michael some time observed by frontline staff looking to the ceiling and talking: “No, no, I’m not coming; no I’m not ready!” One day, one staff member became curious and asked Michael:
S: Michael, who are you talking to?
M: “To my wife” (deceased)
A few days before Michael died, he asked the nurse to say a prayer for him. The nurse made a referral to the chaplain.
The chaplan and the nurse went to Michael’s room. Michael’s two daughters were by the bedside; the chaplain and the nurse sat on both side of Michael, holding Michale’s hands. The chaplain asked the nurse to say the prayer. The nurse said she did not know how to pray; the chaplain insisted and encouraged the nurse to say the prayer – (What if I was not here, say in the middle of the night or on weekend; would you just ignore the request? The chaplain asked the nurse). – then advised the nurse to say the prayer, make sure God is mentioned in the prayer.
The nurse said the prayer and it was a beautiful prayer. When the nurse finished the prayer, she asked Michael:
N: Michael, do you believe in God?
M: YES!
Michael’s two daughter became emotional/teary – and said to the nurse and the chaplain: “Our dad was an atheist all his life; now he is about to die and he says he believes in God? One one of the daughters finished with the phrase: “OOOh my God!”
Michael died three days later.
In health care (Hospital and LTC), supporting the human spirit should be for everyone (not only those who are religious); every patient deserves the opportunity to be supported by trained professionals in this field. Unfortunately, not all hospital and LTC facilities have trained professionals, (chaplains, spiritual care practitioners) – and that is sad to me!
I do my work and at the same time, I allow God to be God; it seems God came to Michael or Michael came to God three days before his death.
Michael: Hi, what are you doing here?
C: I came to visit you;
M: Why, you are the chaplan who says prayer on Rembrance Day, on November 11;
C: Yes, I am.
M: I don’t want you here; I am an atheist.
C: That’s fine Michael; I did not come to talk to you about religion, prayer, God or the Bible; I came to visit you as a friend; I’m not here to talk about anything to do with religion – but just to be with you; if that’s okay for you.
M: Okay.
I offered three visits in three weeks, each lasting about 20 minutes; often just sitting with this resident; other times Michael would respond to a few o=verbal interventions.
At this point, Michael’s treatment had been downgraded to comfort measures only – and he was hardly eating. During this down turn in his health, Michael some time observed by frontline staff looking to the ceiling and talking: “No, no, I’m not coming; no I’m not ready!” One day, one staff member became curious and asked Michael:
S: Michael, who are you talking to?
M: “To my wife” (deceased)
A few days before Michael died, he asked the nurse to say a prayer for him. The nurse made a referral to the chaplain.
The chaplan and the nurse went to Michael’s room. Michael’s two daughters were by the bedside; the chaplain and the nurse sat on both side of Michael, holding Michale’s hands. The chaplain asked the nurse to say the prayer. The nurse said she did not know how to pray; the chaplain insisted and encouraged the nurse to say the prayer – (What if I was not here, say in the middle of the night or on weekend; would you just ignore the request? The chaplain asked the nurse). – then advised the nurse to say the prayer, make sure God is mentioned in the prayer.
The nurse said the prayer and it was a beautiful prayer. When the nurse finished the prayer, she asked Michael:
N: Michael, do you believe in God?
M: YES!
Michael’s two daughter became emotional/teary – and said to the nurse and the chaplain: “Our dad was an atheist all his life; now he is about to die and he says he believes in God? One one of the daughters finished with the phrase: “OOOh my God!”
Michael died three days later.
In health care (Hospital and LTC), supporting the human spirit should be for everyone (not only those who are religious); every patient deserves the opportunity to be supported by trained professionals in this field. Unfortunately, not all hospital and LTC facilities have trained professionals, (chaplains, spiritual care practitioners) – and that is sad to me!
I do my work and at the same time, I allow God to be God; it seems God came to Michael or Michael came to God three days before his death.
Why is spiritual health important?
To me supporting the human spirit crosses any and/or all boundaries of humanity: religious, political, social. Supporting the human spirit is I do every day, meeting everyone where they are at and support them by exploring resources that keep them going when dealing with challenges beyond control; and/or by my supportive presence
In supporting the human spirit (religious or not), God, I believe, is at work; God is embedded in every caring relationship (O’Conor); and to me, that is the support of the human spirit. It embraces everyone, without alienation (ie. Religious, atheist, agnostic or humanistic). When religion is not part of someone’s life – ministry of presence and conversing is spiritual care that will facilitate a “good death” for that patient i.e. supporting the human spirit.
In supporting the human spirit (religious or not), God, I believe, is at work; God is embedded in every caring relationship (O’Conor); and to me, that is the support of the human spirit. It embraces everyone, without alienation (ie. Religious, atheist, agnostic or humanistic). When religion is not part of someone’s life – ministry of presence and conversing is spiritual care that will facilitate a “good death” for that patient i.e. supporting the human spirit.