Transcript Ward 33 Session: Spiritual Care & Chaplaincy

Spiritual Care
in a Healthcare Context
Chaplaincy-Spiritual Care
Presented by Rev Neil Hepworth,
Chaplain with particular responsibilities for the Medical
Division, Critical Care & Palliative Care
Why do we need to know about Spiritual Care?
 NHS Policy
psychologica
l
(e.g. Nice per cancer/palliative care 2004,
EOLC Strategy 2008)
Physical
 Integral to health & wellbeing
 Central to good medical
Social
and nursing care.
 An aspect of ‘Holistic’ or
‘total person’ care
Physical symptoms can be caused by emotional or spiritual
distress or be the cause of it- humans beings are complex
and health is as much about how we think and feel as the
state of our flesh and bones!
Spiritual
Quote
“He may cry for rest, peace and
dignity, but he will get infusions,
transfusions, a heart machine, or a
tracheotomy…He may want one
single person to stop for one single
minute so he can ask one single
question- but he will get a dozen
people around the clock, all busily
preoccupied with his heart rate,
pulse,
electrocardiogram
or
pulmonary functions, his secretions
or excretions but not with him as a
human being”
(Kubler-Ross, 1969, edition 1997, On Death and Dying,
New York, Scribner , p22, italic emphasis mine).
What is
Spirituality?
 ‘Spirit’-Human spirit &/or Divine Spirit
 Connecting with the ‘other’ and/or being

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aware of the bigger world around us.
Human desire & quest for meaning
The essence of who I am- my unique identity
Shaped by our experience & context
May be expressed & nurtured in various ways
Beyond the physical, mental, emotional yet
encompasses all of them
Integral to a Religion or faith structure for many
people but not all
Context of being ill
 When we are healthy we take life’s pursuit for
granted
 Health problems can threaten our ‘peace’.
 It can lead to ‘existential’ questioning
 It can arouse strong emotions
 It may affect self-esteem
Basic Spiritual Care: Something we are
all responsible for!
Prior things to remember:
 A duty to be aware of patient’s religion,
spiritual & cultural needs.
 Inform patients about the chaplaincy and how
to access them
 It is about the patient’s spirituality and not our
own
Basic Spiritual Care: Something we are all
responsible for!
(Ingredients of care)
 Empathy
 Emotional support
 Listen to spiritual concerns
“As patients may express their needs only once, it is
important for those assessing need to be highly
attuned to the spiritual dimension of patient care”
(NICE, 2004,Supportive & Palliative Care Services for Adults with
Cancer, p96, section 7.7).
Basic Spiritual Care: Something we are all
responsible for! (Ingredients of care continued )
 Reminiscence
 Encouragement & Hope
*Affirming a positive outlook is not to be confused
with prohibiting any expression of negative and
low feelings!!! Nor is it giving false reassurance!
Basic Spiritual Care: Something we are all
responsible for!
(Summary )
 Basic Spiritual care is really nothing more and
nothing less than good humane care.
“we are people first and professionals second…it is the
people part of us that is required most in our offering
of spiritual care”
(Tom Gordon, A Need for living, 2001, page 41).
Basic Spiritual Care: Something we
are all responsible for!
Some final things to remember:
 Refer if necessary to a ‘specialist’
 Look after yourself
Specialist Spiritual Care:
Something Chaplains and staff with particular
experience and training should do.
All that was said under basic spiritual care plus:
 Use of reminiscence for spiritual assessment
and targeted support
 Theological and philosophical explorations
around existential issues
 Religious support
A definition of ‘Spiritual Care’:
 “Spiritual Care…[is] responding to the
uniqueness of the individual: accepting their
range of doubts, beliefs and values just as
they are. It means responding to the spoken
or unspoken statements from the very core of
that person as valid expressions of where
they are and who they are. It is to be a
facilitator in their search for identity on the
journey of life and in the particular situation
without being prescriptive, judgemental or
dogmatic and without preconditions,
acknowledging that each will be at a different
stage on that personal spiritual journey.”
(Stoter, D., 1995, Spiritual Aspects of Health Care. London: Mosby, page 8)
Quote from End of Life Strategy
“Facing death and the associated pain of loss and
separation is hard to bear for all those concerned.
Each person is part of a family or community unit and
has emotional, social and spiritual needs, as well as
physical and practical needs.
Every person is unique and should be treated with
dignity and respect.
They should be able to express their hopes and
expectations of what has deepest meaning for them.
In essence, this is a recognition of the spiritual
dimension of each person.”
(,Dept of Health, 2008, End of Life Care Strategy, p76, 3.99)
How can spiritual support
be given?
 Give time & presence
 Listen
 Encourage them to talk about their lives-
especially achievements, sources of hope,
concerns/regrets/disappointments
 By being accepting- ie non-judgmental
 By not pushing your own belief or unbelief but
focusing on the patient’s agenda and their
beliefs/values
 Refer to a chaplain
Trigger questions for
Spiritual support?
 When you lay in the long evenings what do
you find yourself thinking about?
 What things/activities/people are important to
you?
 How do you see the future?
 Do you consider yourself a spiritual person?
 Is there anything on your mind?
 Does anything help you cope with all this?
Any questions or things you want to say?
Thank you for listening- and remember I am
here to support you as well as the patients!
Contacting a Chaplain:
Office tel 27 68792
If Urgent ring switchboard and ask for the
on-call chaplain- a 24/7 provision.