Assuring professional pastoral care for every nursing home resident

Ministry to persons in nursing homes is built on two mandates: "... He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; ... to comfort all who mourn ..." (Isaiah 61:1-3). The federal government provides the second: "Quality of Life. A facility must care for its residents in a manner and in an environment that promotes maintenance or enhancement of each resident's quality of life" (OBRA '87, Guidance to Surveyors in Long Term Care Facilities, Code of Federal Regulations, Health Care Financing Administration, 1995, section 483.15, F240). This article discusses both the religious and the U.S. political history of caring for the old and frail. It concludes by describing political efforts in one state to increase the quality of that care and pastoral efforts to support the nursing assistants in long-term care facilities.