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SPIRITU ALITY

The Evolving Role of

Chaplains in Health Care

he role of the chaplain has evolved and Protestant traditions who are able to
significantly from historical models. screen patients for possible faith specific
TToday’s chaplain often is armed with needs that may arise upon their request.
graduate degrees, units of Clinical Pastoral Given that we are entering into the holiday
Education and perhaps even national cer- season, a chaplain often plays an impor-
tifications and related advanced degrees. tant role in helping patients to find com-
Chaplains may even be integrated into fort and solace in their spiritual and reli-
hospital interdisciplinary clinical treat- gious traditions. BY CHAPLAIN YOSEF
ment teams. Such is the case for chaplains Chaplains at the VA Medical Center are GRODSKY
working at the West Palm Beach Medical available twenty-four hours a day, 365
Center. Chaplains may also be involved in days per year to handle any emergency. mention a few.
committees that relate to our core compe- Chaplains are available for both inpatients Our goal is that patients have the oppor-
tencies and activities. Examples include and outpatients for religious, spiritual or tunity to practice his or her faith to the
serving on committees such as palliative moral concerns. Spiritual care and min- greatest extent possible, including wor-
care, bioethics and patient relations. istry are provided to immediate family ship services, ceremonies and observanc-
This model shifts the emphasis to members as well. We work with people of es, as well as dietary needs and religious
some degree from simply serving in a all faiths and those who do not align them- literature. Other goals include protecting
sacramental role to that of clinical chap- selves with any faith group. Each chaplain patients against unwanted religious solici-
laincy. Clinical chaplains may also be is sensitive to the religious needs of a tations and safeguarding privacy rights.
involved in pastoral counseling depend- broad spectrum of religious denomina- The greatest asset that a chaplain pos-
ing on their skills and background thus tions and faiths. sesses is his or her ability to comfort a
contributing further to the well being of All VA Medical Centers are guided by patient in times of extreme difficulty and
patients from the standpoint of a holistic the leadership of the National Chaplain stress. This is especially true during the
framework. This is certainly true in the Center in order to achieve excellence in holiday season when so many patients feel
area of recovery from chemical and alco- meeting the spiritual needs of veterans a sense of loneliness or even despair.
hol dependency. receiving health care. Their mission
At the West Palm Beach VA Medical includes field services, educational pro- Chaplain Grodsky, West Palm Beach VA
Center, we are blessed to have a skilled gramming, spiritual care, accreditation Medical Center, can be reached at
group of chaplains of the Catholic, Jewish standards, and employment services to 561-422-6872.

Cover Story: Holidays Present

Challenges, Rewards for

Hospice Chaplains

Continued from page 1 The rabbi has noticed that, in addition
In another case, a rapidly declining to his VITAS patients, the facility staff
patient was waiting for her first grand- members and other residents tend to
child to arrive from the West Coast for gather around. Patients sitting in wheel-
the holidays. The baby’s family was chairs with their eyes closed often come
delayed several hours, but the patient alive, their eyes growing bright with the
kept saying, “I hear the baby crying.” Her awareness of a sacred occasion.
anxious family explained that the baby Another VITAS chaplain, who is from
hadn’t arrived yet, but the patient repeat- the Philippines, tells me that, when he
edly insisted that she could “hear the talks about the holidays with his patients
baby.” and families, he remembers food. In his
The VITAS chaplain intervened, reas- culture, the favorite foods of deceased
suring the patient that her grandchild family members are cooked in their
was coming. The chaplain taught the honor during the holidays and on special
family to offer comfort rather than cor- occasions. A plate is prepared for them in
rection. By the time the grandchild their memory. This is a way for the living
arrived, the grandmother had slipped to reconnect with the departed.
into unconsciousness. Nonetheless, the
baby was placed in her arms, and pic- Create Rituals
tures of their faces side-by-side remind Not every custom is for everyone.
the family of the generations of love Each patient and family member must
shared. create ways to make the holidays mean-
ingful. That’s where hospice chaplains
Honor the season’s tastes and come in; by listening and observing, they
sounds help patients and families identify the
A VITAS chaplain and rabbi brings his best ways to celebrate the holidays—
wife with him during the High Holy Days even as they face death and loss.
to visit his patients who live in nursing Martha Rutland, D Min, BCC, ACPE,
homes. His wife blows the shofar, a tradi- Director of Clinical Pastoral Education at
tional Jewish horn, and they both sing VITAS Innovative Hospice Care®, can be
songs and share rituals of remembrance. reached at (305) 350-5946.

10 December 2007 hospitalnews.org South Florida Hospital News