The chaplain as a member of the hospice team

Hospice care is dedicated to the alleviation of pain. It is imperative for the interdisciplinary team to determine the presence of spiritual and/or religious pain in order to create a plan of care that will provide the necessary resources to meet patients' needs. Spiritual and/or religious wholeness or pain is a highly personal concept and concrete measurements are almost impossible to determine with consistent accuracy. However, it is important to include these assessments as part of the total patient assessment (Abington Memorial Hospital Home Care Hospice Manuual, 1998). The concept of spiritual care is an important for patients who receive home healthcare services as well as care through the hospice benefit. When possible, the valuable resources and expertise of a chaplain or faith community leader should be available to all patients. This may be possible through a referral process within the home care and hospice programs, or services may be available through a local ministerium association, contract, volunteer arrangement, pastoral care department of a local hospital, or by working with students from local religious educational facilities. A total patient assessment that includes the spiritual and religious needs and addresses all identified needs will enable patients and their families to meet their goals, even if the patient remains physically ill.