Summary Of Dr. John Walton's Compassionate Care

This author’s personal perceptions concerning patients facing a lingering terminal illness, have been shaped by over 20 years of critical care nursing experience. Facing death and illness on a daily basis requires self-examination and a high degree of comfort with one’s own mortality, limits and values. Constant exposure to the fragility of life forces respect for the whole person and the people who love them. A general approach to patients who are actively dying is to allow them to define what they want and need during this time. The nurse’s role

In the work of professional psychology, we have now a forray of theories, therapeutic techniques, and modern psychotherapies which has all too frequently ignore the spiritual element in human life. In Care of Souls, Dr David Benner recaptures the place of the spiritual in psychological work. Among the many benefits of the use of modern therapies and medical science, he has also emphasised putting God's priorities above one's own in the practice of Christian soul care.

McMinn (2011) believed that the integration of psychology, theology and spirituality is tricky, for Christian counselors, because other therapists are focused on a change in mental health (symptom reduction, ego strength, etc.), whereas, the Christian counselor is concerned with spiritual growth and transformation (p. 39). This is the view that sets the tone for the rest of the book. In order to make the book easy to follow, McMinn (2011) began with a discussion about Religion in the Counseling Office where he clarifies the need for training, the importance of the spiritual life of the counselor, the role of spiritual disciplines, and God’s role in the counseling process (Chapter 1).

Spirituality is defined in regards to health care and why spirituality is important to client care is discussed. Nursing care that can nurture a patient’s spirituality include quietly being there to listen to our patients, knowing when to seek a formally trained ministers assistance, and being willing to participate in their spiritual and cultural customs. Spiritual assessment tools can be utilized by healthcare providers to help assess a patient’s spiritual need and to help formulate an individualized plan of care. Three spiritual assessment tools are discussed: HOPE questions, FICA spiritual assessment tool, and the four FACTs spiritual assessment tool. Three personal examples of implementation of spiritual care are included in this paper.

Death is inevitable. It is one of the only certainties in life. Regardless, people are often uncomfortable discussing death. Nyatanga (2016) posits that the idea of no longer existing increases anxiety and emotional distress in relation to one’s mortality. Because of the difficulty in level of care for end-of-life patients, the patient and the family often need professional assistance for physical and emotional care. Many family caregivers are not professionally trained in medicine, and this is where hospice comes into play. Hospice aims to meet the holistic needs of both the patient and the patient’s family through treatment plans, education, and advocacy. There is a duality of care to the treatment provided by hospice staff in that they do not attempt to separate the patient’s care from the family’s care. Leming and Dickinson (2011) support that hospice, unlike other clinical fields, focuses on the patient and the family together instead of seeing the patient independent of the family. Many times in hospitals, the medical team focuses solely on the goal of returning the patient back to health in order for them to return to their normal lives. They do not take into account the psychological and spiritual components of the patient’s journey and the journey that the family must take as well. For treatment of the patient, Leming and Dickinson agree that hospice does not attempt to cure patients, and instead concentrates solely

The integration of psychology and theology is so intertwined that it has caused ill-well between the two disciplines. The over-arching concern for a counselor is to understand the why of a person disorder. In trying to understand the why, there are issues concerning the mind of the person, the thought process, their body, their soul, their temporal and the supernatural systems that can be manipulated if they are not living with a healthy lifestyle. So what a counselor is trying to discover is the physical function of individuals as well as trying to uncover the spiritual components of their lives, which can be worked through within the intake process, however it does not need to be left out during the counseling process. This is best said in the words of McMinn (1996) who declares “the best interdisciplinary integration work usually comes from those who have formal or informal preparation in both psychology and theology” (p. 9). Scripture states in, II Chronicles 1:10, says “give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours” (New International Version)? This research article will endeavor to search through varies theories to aid counselors in the integration process of psychology and theology. Because the ultimate goal for any counselor especially the Christian counselor is to be used as an instrument for God to bring about healthy living, corrective thoughts, and eradicate persistent sins.

For health care providers to deliver the best holistic care that patients deserve, a thorough spiritual assessment must be included during their care. With more research showing a relationship between supporting a patient’s spirituality with their health and ability to cope with illness, it is now a requirement of organizations to include a spiritual assessment to maintain accreditation with The Joint Commission. The minimum required of a spiritual assessment by The Joint Commission is to determine the patient’s religion and

One of the most difficult yet, pivotal times in a person 's’ life is when they are reaching the end of their life’s journey. A common coping mechanism utilized in the current hospice care system is spiritual care. However, when patients and their families hear the word “spirituality” they often think this type of care focuses exclusively on religious affiliations. While a person’s religious views greatly influence one’s spirituality, many researchers agree a person’s spirituality can take on a variety forms and meanings. For example, some people view their spirituality in a religious form, while others view their spirituality in a more general and non-religious form, which can make a hospice social worker, or chaplain’s job challenging at times. Because the current elderly society is rapidly growing in numbers, it is critical that further research is concentrated on the training and social work curriculum of spiritual care, so hospice social workers can become more culturally and spiritually competent, and ultimately possess the proper skills to adequately offer spiritual assistance as an option to ease the death, dying and grieving process for patients and their families.

Usually, the majority of aging people spend most of their time in nursing homes where they receive specialized treatment and care that is not available in the normal home setting. What is more, the aging individuals give each other company as they interact in serene and supportive environments that promote their peace of mind. A person considering to pursue a profession in hospice nursing care should be equipped with a set of skills and knowledge base, aside from having the necessary passion that would help him/her in navigating through various hurdles. One of the most significant disadvantages of the career is that the professionals are obliged to provide care to the terminally ill; and therefore, it becomes sensitive to extend care aimed at providing emotional and spiritual support. This paper explores the form and the nature of hospice nursing. Hospice care features as a risk-based and comprehensive care

The article “The Practice of the Ministry of Medicine” by Dr. Margaret Mohrmann was written to share real life stories of patients struggling with diseases. The article “Spiritual struggle and affective symptoms among geriatric mood disordered patients” by David H. Rosmarin, Mary C. Malloy and Brent P. Forester was written to explain the medical approach on spiritual care for patients. Therefore, these articles show the difference between emotional and unemotional language while discussing healing a person.

Professional caregivers who care for the dying must professionally employ high level technical skills while maintaining a compassionate focus on the problems facing the dying person and their families, often immersed in institutional politics, all the time suppressing their own anxieties. Meanwhile, providing a supportive environment that meets the needs of the terminally ill individual with confidence, whilst cultivating trust and feelings of dignity in the dying patient (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2005, 2015).

McMinn similarly emphasizes a pattern of healing based on a client’s healthy sense of self, need, and relationships. The basis for said model of healing includes the integration of such biblical principles of prayer, Scripture, sin, confession, forgiveness, and redemption into therapy. Mark McMinn (2011) examines the biblical principles of prayer and Scripture and how the respective doctrines not only correspond with appropriate intradisciplinary integration, but how counselors’ implementation of each varies extensively. (p. 81) Supplication is essential to the psychological and spiritual health of the client. The problem with integrating prayer into counseling, however,

Spirituality is an essential component of the mortal experience of disease and death (REF 2). This makes spiritual care a critical factor in end of life care and a priority of nurses involved in the care of patients and families (REF 2). With the provision of competent spiritual care and my own personal experiences in mind, this paper discusses spirituality and the end of life, the key components of spiritual assessment,

From a health care providers standpoint, failure to assess spiritual needs may potentially neglect an important patient need; it also fails to consider patients as whole persons. Communication with patients and families about spiritual issues ranges from preliminary screening in order to identify potential spiritual issues to a spiritual history taken by trained health care providers to a spiritual assessment by a board-certified chaplain (Kricke, 2017). Health care professionals determine how to integrate information from the spiritual assessment into the patient’s overall treatment plan. Using the language consistent with practice in most health care settings, this includes identifying or diagnosing the spiritual problems and needs; identifying spiritual goals; and determining, implementing, and evaluating the appropriate spiritual interventions (Puchalski, Ferrell, & Virani, 2009). Again communication is a critical element of this interprofessional care. Puchalski, Ferrell, & Virani conclude whether, in the hospice, hospital, outpatient, or long-term care setting, inter-professional rounds may offer the best way to optimize communication (2009). Documentation in the patient record is essential to communicate spiritual

The primary goal of Dr. Crabb is to give the new counselor an effective way to ministry to their clients in an easy step by step method. Dr. Crabb focuses his method on the client building their relationship with Christ to develop healing and wholeness in the view of what Christ created them to be. His focus is totally on the client’s personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The counselor’s role is to assist the client in growing in identifying their own problems and solutions based in light of God’s great mercy