The mission at Alliance and All Caring Hospice is “to understand and help guide our patients’ quest for a rewarding quality of life in their final days and to help their family and friends support them in life and grieve for them in death. We pledge to provide expert hospice care for the comfort and dignity of the terminally ill by addressing their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. We strive to provide individuals facing death and grief expert care that provides a sense of personal worth.”
In our mission, we underscore the need to offer comfort and dignity to those in their end-of-life stage by attending to our patients’ physical, emotional and spiritual needs. These three areas of needs are very personal for each patient and family that we help, and we do our best to individualize our way of caring to meet these needs accordingly.
However, the notion of addressing spiritual needs is one that involves a deep level of thought. Understanding and assessing the spiritual needs of terminally-ill patients stems from the relationships that hospice staff cultivate and nurture. It is not uncommon for hospice care patients to seek spirituality and religion to help manage their feelings, even if they had not previously been religiously committed or affiliated. Sometimes, spirituality offers a degree of purpose that helps terminally-ill patients cope better during their end-of-life experience.
For patients seeking a deeper spiritual connection, there are hospice chaplains, or even their own religious leaders or clergy that can assist by spending time with them. At Alliance Hospice, we provide “Hospice Spiritual Care Coordinators” who provide non-denominational spiritual support to patients and families, and help with coordinating visits from local clergy if requested. Our hospice care staff help facilitate these needs while exercising a heightened degree of sensitivity to ensure the type of spiritual support that’s being sought.
About the Author
Robert Bruce Dalglish has served as the Chairman and CEO of Alliance Hospice and All Caring Hospice since 2005. In this role, Bruce Dalglish oversees the development and strategic direction of both companies. From 2008 – 2013, Bruce Dalglish served on the Public Policy Committee of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).
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Disclaimer: Blogs by R. Bruce Dalglish provide educational information, not medical advice. Please consult with your medical providers when making end-of-life care decisions.