We often hear about end-of
life care with emphasis on the roles of doctors and nurses. Spirituality of
patients may be overshadowed sometimes by the more visible efforts of providing
quality of life at physical levels. But hospice-palliative care chaplains also
make positive differences in the healthcare status of many patients by
providing a comforting presence during a critical phase in life.
Duke University research documenting
the relationships between the receipt of less spiritual care than desired and
patient outcomes was done with 150 patients with advanced cancer. The vast majority of them (91%) indicated they had spiritual needs. Most
desired and received spiritual care from their healthcare providers, religious
community, and hospital chaplain. Unfortunately, a significant subset of
patients didn’t receive the level of spiritual care they wanted. When this
happened, patients were at risk of depression and reduced sense of spiritual
meaning and peace. These unmet spiritual needs negatively impacted patients’
healthcare status.
A’Shellarian Anthony,
chaplain at Delaware Hospice, provides weekly counsel and prayer with her
patients. Part of a unique program there that includes specialists who sing,
she also provides the healing powers of music:
Frances Shani Parker,
Author
Becoming Dead Right: A
Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes
is available in paperback at many booksellers and in e-book form at
Amazon and Barnes and Noble booksellers.
Healing music can take many forms. It could be a wood flute, the rhythm of a hand crafted drum or even the wind blowing through the pines. The power of music can lift the spiritual soul spiritual music
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