Hello, everyone. I'm brand new to this forum and I just got hired to start a home health hospice job in the middle of June. I have neither home health experience nor hospice experience. I did bedside hospital nursing for 14 years and just could do it no longer. I imagine that holding hands and listening will be a big part of what I can offer to my patients and their families, but what about God? How far can you go in comforting your patients and their loved-ones? If they are afraid of dying and you know you have good news for them, just how much can you say?
Thanks and I'm glad to be a part of this great forum. I look forward to getting to know all of you and making some friends.
The Scripture I shared was for GardenerGirl's benefit, not, obviously, for her to be quoting to a patient. We are free to share our beliefs only upon the patient's request and never to try and coerse them into asking either.
Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care, OB/GYN, Peds,.
I think that as nurses we have to be concerned about the whole patient which includes physical, psychsocial and spiritual health of our patients. If a patient has real concerns about their spiritual health at a moment in time that the nurse is there, we need to address that concern. Some of my most needy patients were preachers. I don't open the door, but if the door is open then I enter at the level of the patient. No, we never push our beliefs on anyone but I do feel we need to answer questions when asked. Sometimes the chaplain is not involved in the case and we may not have the time to get a referral. Listen to the patient and answer as best as you can, with love.:heartbeat
I have to weigh in with Leslie and the others on this one. If a patient is terrified of dying, sharing the Good News with him/her is not likely to be reassuring. You can be certain they have heard the Good News before in their life. For whatever reason, that is not bringing them comfort. That fear of dying is a major issue in their care plan because its a huge barrier to a peaceful death. The approach taken to alleviate the distress should be shared and supported by the entire IDT, but following the lead of your trained professionals, your counseling services team.
Even if a patient directly ASKS about my beliefs, I still feel it inappropriate to share more that a very minimal amount to satisfy their response. For instance, if a patient says to me "do you believe in heaven and hell?"...they aren't really interested in what I think. They may be looking for validation of their belief, or they may be fearing that on their arrival in heaven some of their loved ones will not be there and they will have to face the anguish of "knowing" that their loved one was condemned to the pits of hell. My job is to do active listening and be alert for the layered meanings in what they are saying. I might give a non-committal response such as "I have imagined what heaven might look like....sounds like you've been thinking about this....(pause for them to say more and if they do not, extend an invitation) "what's on your mind about heaven and hell today?"
I deal with chronically ill pts on a daily basis. I have had some pts ask about my beliefs and like others have stated, I keep things very general. It is okay to pray with patients (and I have done so). However, even then, I keep things general.
It is my place to offer comfort and care, not to convert them.
Even if a patient directly ASKS about my beliefs, I still feel it inappropriate to share more that a very minimal amount to satisfy their response. For instance, if a patient says to me "do you believe in heaven and hell?"...they aren't really interested in what I think. They may be looking for validation of their belief, or they may be fearing that on their arrival in heaven some of their loved ones will not be there and they will have to face the anguish of "knowing" that their loved one was condemned to the pits of hell. My job is to do active listening and be alert for the layered meaningsin what they are saying. I might give a non-committal response such as "I have imagined what heaven might look like....sounds like you've been thinking about this....(pause for them to say more and if they do not, extend an invitation) "what's on your mind about heaven and hell today?"
perfect, perfect, perfect!
and absolutely.
it really takes an experienced hospice nurse to understand what a pt is seeking for a response.
unless a pt specifically asks for Christian (or fill in the blank) scripture, do not ever assume for such questions to reflect on what the nurse 'thinks'.
ask...tell the pt, "i'm not understanding what you're asking...you sound frightened, anxious, sad, etc."
Even if a patient directly ASKS about my beliefs, I still feel it inappropriate to share more that a very minimal amount to satisfy their response. For instance, if a patient says to me "do you believe in heaven and hell?"...they aren't really interested in what I think. They may be looking for validation of their belief, or they may be fearing that on their arrival in heaven some of their loved ones will not be there and they will have to face the anguish of "knowing" that their loved one was condemned to the pits of hell. My job is to do active listening and be alert for the layered meanings in what they are saying. I might give a non-committal response such as "I have imagined what heaven might look like....sounds like you've been thinking about this....(pause for them to say more and if they do not, extend an invitation) "what's on your mind about heaven and hell today?"
Even if a patient directly ASKS about my beliefs, I still feel it inappropriate to share more that a very minimal amount to satisfy their response. For instance, if a patient says to me "do you believe in heaven and hell?"...they aren't really interested in what I think. They may be looking for validation of their belief, or they may be fearing that on their arrival in heaven some of their loved ones will not be there and they will have to face the anguish of "knowing" that their loved one was condemned to the pits of hell. My job is to do active listening and be alert for the layered meanings in what they are saying. I might give a non-committal response such as "I have imagined what heaven might look like....sounds like you've been thinking about this....(pause for them to say more and if they do not, extend an invitation) "what's on your mind about heaven and hell today?"
I definitely could not have said it better myself! Thanks.
Since becoming a member of this site I have learned a lot from all of you nurses and for that I just want to say "thanks". The former "Irishpooh". Changed my user name to honor my terrier-mix Scruffy who passed away at 14 from CA.
Since becoming a member of this site I have learned a lot from all of you nurses and for that I just want to say "thanks". The former "Irishpooh". Changed my user name to honor my terrier-mix Scruffy who passed away at 14 from CA.
aw, dang scruffy.
i'm so sorry to hear this.
having sev'l animals myself, i deeply sympathize and am sorry about your loss.
My VNA has both HH and hospice. I have very strong Christian beliefs and I do love to share them. That being said, I know that working with my hospice team would severely stress me out and I know that I would probably cross the professional line with my personal belief. So I stick with my HH (whick I LOVE) unless I am on-call and need to do a pronouncement. God bless all you dedicated hospice nurses!
Specializes in ICU, SDU, OR, RR, Ortho, Hospice RN.
As healthcare professionals, we are there to support their beliefs and defense mechanisms, not to proselytize.
If someone asks you to pray with them, etc., that is up to the individual nurse whether s/he feels comfortable with that. However, it is never appropriate to push our individual beliefs on our clients. Please keep any "good news" to yourself at work.
:up:
MQ Edna
1 Article; 1,741 Posts
The Scripture I shared was for GardenerGirl's benefit, not, obviously, for her to be quoting to a patient. We are free to share our beliefs only upon the patient's request and never to try and coerse them into asking either.