Spiritual Care in Transitions

Easing the spiritual transition from home to a facility can help decrease the spiritual pain of moving into a facility and the isolation a resident sometimes feels from their former congregations.

Here are some steps that may help in your loved one's spiritual transition:

The facility should ensure that the intake person asks the new resident/family about their church affiliation, including the particular congregation and pastor. Then she/he and others must put some effort into helping that faith community stay in regular contact:

  • Call the church (with the resident's permission) and ask them to visit.
  • Tell them what the facility can do for the faith community.
  • Tell the resident what spiritual care resources are available there (e.g. Bible study, worship services, devotional literature, visits from chaplain or volunteer clergy, TV channels that have spiritual programming, transportation to Sabbath day services of local congregations, etc.) .
  • Recruit a resident to invite the new resident to the chapel service.
  • Let staff of the facility know that loneliness, helplessness, and boredom are spiritual issues that they can address.

The faith community needs to have a system for staying in touch with its members as they move from home:

  • Regular visits by church members and/or pastor.
  • Tasks by which the resident can continue to contribute to the work of the faith community (be a part of the phone tree, participate in the prayer chain, help prepare mailings, be a phone buddy to another church member, or a mentor to a confirmed).
  • Include them in stewardship campaigns.
  • Take Eucharist to the resident in the facility.
  • Have the resident's Ladies' League or Men's Prayer Breakfast meet at the facility.
  • Bring them devotional materials.

The family can make sure that faith-related books, decorations, and furnishings get moved from home to the facility. They can make sure that appropriate staff are aware of the resident's faith attitudes and activities. They can help the resident write/record the stories of his/her life, including the faith-related stories and times of faith assurance and faith distress. Family members can take the resident to church on special days, and inform the church as soon as a special need arises or a change in condition or hospitalization occurs.

The resident can do things appropriate to his/her ability to take ownership for his/her spiritual needs. They can initiate requests for help or information on any of the above suggestions. They can pray (privately and with others) for help with the decision to move and to find spiritual partners in their new setting. They can adapt their usual private devotional practices to the environment and schedule of their new surroundings. They can adapt their missional/outreach activities to their current abilities and setting.