Spiritual Care Services

Spiritual Care Services

The role of a Spiritual Care Coordinator is to learn about what brings you a sense of connection and peace and highlight these aspects as part of your care. The coordinator will seek to support both the patient and family. One does not have to be “religious” to receive benefits from a Spiritual Care Coordinator. Distant or nonexistent spiritual and religious connections can also be reignited and strengthened with the support of a coordinator.

In addition, if a patient or family has a strong connection with a community religious organization the Spiritual Care Coordinator can assist with coordinating with them to come to the patient’s home. Patients and family’s can participate in more traditional prayers and songs or more modern practices. The goal of the coordinator is to help hospice patients and families feel comfort in this uncertain time.

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

-Wayne Dyer

Sometimes we need to take a step back and see the broader and deeper picture that is underlying all our experiences.

The dying time does not need to be a time of suffering, and the Spiritual Care Coordinator’s role is to support you in reducing that suffering and enhancing the sense of peace and beauty within and around you.

Spiritual Care Coordinator Visits

A Spiritual Care Coordinator will visit a patient within the first 5 days the patient comes onto hospice services. The coordinator will get a sense of the patient’s and family’s spiritual, religious, and cultural beliefs. The Spiritual Care Coordinator will determine if the patient or family has any current connections to any religious organizations in the community. Depending on your wishes, ongoing visits may include:

Prayers, Readings, and Music – These can be faith, spiritual, or nature-based – whichever resonates within your heart.

Coordination with your Community – We are available to assist with connecting or reconnecting you to your faith and spiritual leaders.

Guided Meditation – Access to guided sessions to help calm the nervous system and connect you to your divine presence.

Exploring Concerns – Providing space with non-judgmental listening to help you find what brings you meaning and peace.

Spiritual Directive – Guidance in writing your wishes in regards to care of your body/mind/spirit.

Life Review – Recognizes fulfillment of life while sharing your wisdom and blessings to those continuing on.

After Death Ritual Planning – Support in creating a ceremony, service, or ritual for yourself or a loved one.

Spiritual Care Resources That You May Find Helpful

Podcasts

• A Path Home- Demystifying caring for your own loved ones after they die
• Here After with Megan Devine
• In this podcast and in Megan’s book (It’s okay, that you’re not okay) she takes a real and raw approach in acknowledging and supporting in these spaces of grief.
• On Being and Sounds True-Insights at the Edge
  • Both of these podcasts provide amazing insights and hope
• There are podcasts on any topic these days- if you have something you are wanting to learn more about or broaden your perspective you can search and see what comes up
  • For example: There are podcasts that talk about dementia and ones that focus on broadening our understanding and bringing more positives into what can feel full of loss

Books

• It’s Okay That You’re Not Okay – by Megan Devine.
  • Also check out Megan’s other works: The Wild Edge of Sorrow-Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred work of Grief by Francis Weller
• Poets John O’Donohue and Phyllis Cole Dai
  • Extraordinary in their use of language to sooth the most broken of hearts
• Final Gifts – by Maggie Callanan
  • Written accounts from hospice nurses who leaned into the profound messages and lessons from those at end of life.

Websites

• Reimagine- letsreimagine.org
  • A hub that connects people to resources to help all people face adversity, loss, and mortality, and channel the hard parts of life into meaningful action and growth.
• National Home Funeral Alliance- homefuneralalliance.org
  • Home to resources and directory to provide support and guidance in caring for your loved ones after they die
• The Green Burial Council- greenburialcouncil.org
  • Shares an abundance of resources: A directory of where natural burial sites are across the state, the myths and facts about natural burials, soil science and education.
• Adirondack Death Care Community- facebook.com/groups
  • A tri-lakes based organization committed to supporting individuals, families, and the community as a whole, in rediscovering a meaningful relationship with grief, end of life, and after death care.
  • Email: adkdeathcarecommunity@gmail.com
• Death Cafes- Deathcafe.com
  • Can be attended online or in person. This is a safe and supportive platform to talk about death and grief and to share your story and learn from others.