Spiritual Care in Hospice
David wasn’t on hospice long, only a week or two. When I first visited his home, he wanted to be encouraged about his prognosis. He wanted to hear that I thought he would be getting better. I knew how sick David was, but as his spiritual care coordinator I have the job of meeting my patients wherever they are, not trying to change their minds or make them think like me.
My job is not to push religion on those in my care, or talk sense into them about how close they may be to the end of life. My job is simply to walk their journey with them, whatever that looks like. My job is to help them find peace; peace with themselves, peace with those they love, and peace with the idea of dying. For David, this meant discovering his faith again and reconnecting with a God he used to know. So when he asked for me to pray for healing, I prayed earnestly and sincerely.
“My job is simply to walk their journey with them”
Over the course of the next few days, our compassionate team helped David make the decision to move out of his house, where he lived alone, and assisted in placing him in a comfortable facility that could extend personalized, 24/7 care. My spiritual care for David did not stop there, but had really just begun.
“He shared his fears with me and expressed his faith”
During my visits, I walked with him in his experience of dying. He talked with me about his life, his family, and his friends. He shared his fears with me and expressed his faith. David continued to request prayers for healing, and I felt honored to offer those prayers on his behalf. We talked about seeing each other again in heaven, and I promised to do a little dance with him when I meet him there. David cried as he said, “Thank you.” One day I was headed to a visit with another patient when I felt a prompting in my spirit to visit David instead. When I arrived, David was still and quiet, barely breathing. verything had already been said and everything had already been prayed for, so I just sat with David in a chair by his bed. As I played music for him on my phone, I realized that he was at peace in his soul, ready to finally let go and make the journey to the heaven he now looked forward to. I had the thought of David practicing his dancing as he took his last breath and slipped away.
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