Hospice Foundation of America
The Hospice Foundation of America website includes detailed education on hospice care and services as well as links to other resources.
Spiritual Support
Helping you and your loved one deal with the life challenges caused by a terminal illness
Experiencing a terminal illness can bring up questions about the meaning and purpose of life. Spiritual support empowers you and your loved one to deal with the emotional and spiritual challenges caused by a life-limiting illness.
What to Expect
Spiritual care is not specific to any faith or religion and is available to all patients and families.
If you need spiritual support, a chaplain or seminary-trained minister can help. Chaplains are specialists in the needs of people in hospice care and those who love them. Ministers have completed additional training in clinical pastoral education.
Spiritual support services include:
Non-judgmental spiritual care
Facing a life-limiting illness can feel lonely. The chaplain will create a safe place to express spiritual needs and ask difficult questions. Remember, having questions is normal, and it’s helpful to voice feelings and frustrations related to the diagnosis and changes in life.
Support for faith- and religion-specific spiritual needs
If you have strong faith or religious beliefs, but do not have access to your specific faith based spiritual care, contact with religion-specific organizations can be made at your request. In addition, resources from the community are available when needed.
Referral to other appropriate resources
Many concerns arise during the end-of-life process that may benefit from pastoral counseling, storytelling, journaling and meditation. However, issues may arise that are more appropriately handled by other professionals. You or your loved one or family members may be referred to such resources as social workers, licensed counselors, bereavement counselors and grief care for children and other specific groups.
Spiritual care for hospice staff
Hospice work exposes staff to circumstances that may raise questions of meaning and purpose of life, or challenge their beliefs and values. Spiritual care can help them be fully present for you and your loved one in your time of need.
Patient Stories for Spiritual Support
Feb 05
Twenty-two weeks into her 2015 pregnancy, Jayme Henchon and her husband Dave received news no expecting parents want to hear. After a routine ultrasound and multiple visits with a specialist, their daughter Harper was diagnosed with not one but two life-threatening conditions. The first diagnosis was a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, a rare condition in early pregnancy that leaves a hole in the diaphragm, allowing abdominal organs to enter the chest cavity. A short time later they also learned that Harper suffered from hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a congenital heart defect in which the left side of the heart doesn’t fully develop and is too small to function properly. Though discouraged, the Henchons still wanted to carry Harper to term. “We never wanted to give up on her,” Jayme said. Little Harper did her part. She came out fighting. Still, the Henchons said, it was clear within minutes that her life wasn’t sustainable. A ventilator allowed them to spend nearly two hours with her along with family. “After Harper passed away, we spent three days in the hospital,” Jayme said. “Our nurses were incredible and went above and beyond the call of duty. One nurse in particular created artwork, which we’ll
Resources
Hospice Foundation of America
The Hospice Foundation of America website includes detailed education on hospice care and services as well as links to other resources.