Spiritual Care Services

Spiritual Care Services

At High Peaks Hospice, spiritual care focuses on what brings you a sense of peace, connection, and meaning. These personal sources of comfort—whether faith-based, nature-inspired, or rooted in human connection—are honored as an integral part of your care.

Our Hospice Care Specialists provide support to both patients and families, helping to nurture the spiritual dimension of life throughout the end-of-life journey. You do not need to consider yourself “religious” to receive spiritual care. For some, this time can also offer an opportunity to rediscover or deepen spiritual or religious connections that may have felt distant.

If you or your loved one already has a relationship with a faith community, our team can help coordinate visits or communication with clergy or spiritual leaders. Patients and families are welcome to take part in traditional prayers and songs, or in practices that reflect a more personal or modern expression of spirituality. Our goal is always to help you find comfort, meaning, and peace during this time of transition.

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

-Wayne Dyer

Sometimes, stepping back allows us to see the broader and deeper meaning within life’s experiences. The dying process does not need to be one of suffering; with care and intention, it can be a time of reflection, reconciliation, and peace. We are here to help nurture that sense of peace and beauty within and around you.

Visits from a Hospice Care Specialist

A Hospice Care Specialist will visit within the first five days after a patient begins hospice services. During this visit, they will learn about the patient’s and family’s spiritual, religious, and cultural beliefs, as well as any existing connections with community faith organizations.

Based on your wishes, ongoing visits may include:

• Prayers, Readings, and Music — Offered from faith traditions, nature-centered perspectives, or other sources that bring you comfort.
• Community Coordination — Assistance connecting or reconnecting with your faith leaders or spiritual community.
• Guided Meditation — Supportive sessions to calm the mind and nurture a sense of inner presence.
• Exploring Concerns — Compassionate, non-judgmental listening to help uncover what brings meaning and peace.
• Spiritual Directives — Guidance in expressing your wishes regarding the care of your body, mind, and spirit.
• Life Review — A reflective process to honor life’s journey, share wisdom, and pass on blessings to loved ones.
• After-Death Ritual Planning — Support in creating meaningful ceremonies, services, or rituals for yourself or a loved one..

Spiritual Care Resources That You May Find Helpful

Podcasts

There are podcasts on nearly every topic today. If you’re hoping to learn, find comfort, or gain a new perspective, exploring these can be a meaningful way to connect and grow.

Examples include:

Here After with Megan Devine — In this podcast (and in her book It’s Okay That You’re Not Okay), Megan offers an honest, compassionate look at grief and the ways we can live alongside loss.

On Being with Krista Tippett and Sounds True: Insights at the Edge — Both explore life’s big questions with wisdom and hope, featuring conversations that nurture reflection and spiritual growth.

Books

It’s Okay That You’re Not Okay – Megan Devine

A compassionate guide through grief, validating the pain of loss while offering pathways toward healing.

The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief – Francis Weller

A poetic and profound invitation to approach grief as a natural, sacred process.

Poetry by John O’Donohue and Phyllis Cole Dai

Both authors write with extraordinary sensitivity, offering words that soothe even the most broken hearts.

Final Gifts – Maggie Callanan

Written by hospice nurses, this book shares moving accounts and lessons learned from those at the end of life.

Websites

Reimagine– letsreimagine.org

A hub connecting people and organizations to help transform experiences of adversity, loss, and mortality into meaningful action and personal growth.

National Home Funeral Alliance– homefuneralalliance.org

A hub connecting people and organizations to help transform experiences of adversity, loss, and mortality into meaningful action and personal growth.

Adirondack Death Care Community– facebook.com/groups

A Tri-Lakes–based group supporting individuals and families 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.