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How Hospice Can Enhance Spiritual Health
December 20, 2022
Los Angeles hospice care can help patients battling a fatal disease receive the comfortable end-of-life care they deserve. But what about the mental upheaval or spiritual pain they might be experiencing as their life comes to an end? Dame Cecily Saunders, the founder of modern hospice care, even stated that spiritual care is essential in hospice to provide patients with the highest quality care. In other words, providing spiritual care is necessary for end-of-life care. No matter what your loved one’s personal spiritual beliefs or religious affiliation may be, Faith and Hope Hospice can enrich their individual spiritual needs.
What is Spiritual Health?
The term “spiritual” has several diverse meanings depending on the context. But in hospice care, what does it mean? Hospice in Pasadena is intended to take care of the whole person—body, mind, and spirit—the unique way you derive meaning from your life and its significant relationships. For some people, that entails a religious belief, ritual, or cultural practice, but it is not required.
A spiritual coordinator or hospice chaplain is specially trained to listen, guide, comfort, and support patients and their family members through their personal experiences of illness, loss, and grief—whatever they may be. While doctors and nurses care for one’s medical needs, social workers support one’s mental health and point clients to the resources they need.
How Spirituality Benefits Los Angeles Hospice Patients
Spiritual Coordinators at Faith and Hope Hospice have a broad understanding of various religions, cultures, and spiritual practices as part of their education. Wherever the patient and family are in their spiritual journey at the end of life, the counselors are prepared to provide a ministry of presence. Our spiritual counselors are equipped to provide emotional, experiential, and spiritual support, active listening, and reflective presence. Sometimes the solution entails a reasonable religious practice or prayer, or the reaction is a nonreligious affirmation of the soul. Hospice patients who do not consider themselves particularly religious may even find comfort in these activities.
Spiritual Coordinators react to every situation with kindness and a loving presence. A professional athlete collaborates with an athletic coach to keep muscles strong and active.
Clients often discover that spiritual counseling has a grounding and uplifting impact on their lives. It’s not unusual for a patient to go through changes in the end-of-life approach. Such feelings can include an acute concern for others, guilt, obsessive thoughts, perplexity, or loneliness. The patient and their loved ones may experience emotional numbness, depression, anxiety, or remorse. By introducing uplifting concepts, traditions, and experiences chosen to promote connection with others or the universal community, gratitude, love, forgiveness, and emotional closure, spiritual care can help alleviate such negative thoughts and feelings as much as possible.
Call Faith and Hope Hospice today at (877) 797-1977 to learn more about the spiritual care services offered at our hospice care near Burbank, Ca.
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We are ready to help you or a loved one during the end of life process by creating a fully customized care plan.