I had not realized it has been so many days since I last posted on the site. I have to admit the main reason for not posting was being unable to select a topic to write about. It may not sound like the best reason for not posting, but it is the honest truth. I chose this graphic of roads to show I just did not know what direction I should take as I wrote. I hope that the readers will be able to relate with my dilemma. The good news is that I intend to post on November 13th, so watch for tomorrow’s post and see if it was worth the wait.
I also need to tell you I have disabled the comment section because in the time I have not posted, 2,000 spam comments have been posted and it takes time to delete them. I am hoping a week or so of not accepting comments will re-set the computers that are sending them. The contact me page is still active, so you can send me your thoughts but you can’t post for everyone to see.
Today less than 50% of eligible voters are expected to take advantage of the opportunity to vote for leadership from the local to the national level. This disappoints me because all year long we hear complaints from residents about what our elected leaders are either doing or not doing. On Election Day we have the chance to retain leaders or select new ones. The voting booth is one of the most powerful tools every citizen has to exercise their right to free speech and to elect the candidate that best represent their values and hopes for our country.
In our local elections the offices of County Commissioner, School Board, City Council for Cumberland and Mayor of Cumberland were the subject of great interest. All of these offices have been criticized in the past two years for things they have done and things they have left undone. All of us have to take responsibility for the results of our actions. So for those people, who did not vote, do not blame the elected leaders solely for what is happening. Your lack of participation in the election process is also one ingredient of the situation and it is one ingredient for which you can take personal responsibility.
Today we received several expressions of thanks for the special banquet we held during Pastoral Care Week for our volunteer chaplains. It was the first such banquet we had held and in the beginning we were not sure how many would attend or how they would like what we had planned. Now we know, it was appreciated and well attended. Even better we learned today that our Administration feels the banquet was a good way to express appreciation for our volunteers, so now we have the “green light” to hold one next year. The power of thanking others is often underestimated. I encourage you to make a list of people you want to thank, and then thank them. The positive energy you will create can do amazing things!
When many congregations celebrate All Saints Day one of the components of that celebration is to light a candle for each person being remembered. I like that custom, and have used it in many of the congregations where I have served as pastor. This year in church we read the names of those who had died since the last All Saints Service, but no candles were lit. I came away from the service feeling a bit restless until later in the day, my restlessness was caused by the missing candle lighting.
I know this may seem like a trivial matter, but for many of us the customs we get used to give us meaning and when they are missing the event is not as powerful for us. This got me to thinking about patients who enter the hospital. While they are there many of their customs in their daily routine are changed. No wonder patients feel restless and out of place at the hospital. No matter how much we try, we can’t duplicate the home environment of every patient. So the next best approach is for us to recognize that people are out of their comfort zone and let them know what they can expect. This will give them the peace of mind of knowing what is going to come next.
My experience with All Saints Sunday and the missing candles have given me an appreciation for the customs my patients are missing while they are in the hospital. Hopefully this appreciation will translate into better spiritual care as I interact with patients and their visitors.
Every fall I marvel at the variety of colors in the leaves as they fall from the trees. Today as I was admiring them I started thinking of Hospice patients that have died during the past year. Some died much earlier than we expected them, and others had many more days of life than we expected them to have. Even with a terminal diagnosis, each client in unique, with their own story, their own expectations, and a set of people who love them and who hate to be forced to say “good-bye” to them. Leaves represent the end of the life cycle just as buds in the Spring represent the beginning of the life cycle. What are consistent from the beginning of life to the end of life are the impressions we make on people. Each of us has the ability to make the lives of others better. The question is, will we take advantage of those opportunities or let them be the work of others? I am thankful for all the ways our Hospice patients made life special for the people in their circles of relationships.
Today the full-time staff members of the Pastoral Care Departments met to continue to learn how each of our three hospitals delivers pastoral care within each health system. We discovered that we share the same goal in regard to patient care. We discovered that we have different ways that we are able to use patient data as we document our ministry. We also discovered that each hospital has a strong emphasis on improving community health and reducing the need for frequent readmissions.
Poverty is one of the main engines that create the need for readmissions. If you have limited funds and are given a prescription, you often don’t get it filled. If it is not filled you are not taking the medicine and there can be no realistic expectation of healing. Our dialogue is just beginning and I am excited about learning about the similarities and differences that reflect the delivery of pastoral care in each hospital setting.
On Friday I will be engaging in a conversation with other chaplains about what our Pastoral Care Department does and which of the things we do I have responsibility for making sure they happen. Like the author in the image above I started with a blank sheet of paper. I made three headings on my list:
Clinical Assignments
Health System-wide Administrative Duties (This consists of committees I serve on)
Departmental Administrative Duties
Once I had my headings I went through the two drawers of my desk and looked the hanging files in them to see which files represented items that belong on the list. I had to it this way because just writing a list of what I do seemed mentally overwhelming to me at the time. It was actually an efficient idea, because anything I do has some sort of paper trail. I was able to copy some papers to take to the meeting to illustrate items on my list.
I offer this illustration to you. Look at the names on the file folders in your desk and list the name of things that would fit on a list of what you do. I feel you will be affirmed that you make a variety of contributions within your employment setting that do not come to mind instantly. Everyone no matter what their task needs to know their presence and efforts are of value both to the employer and to those who are ultimately served.
In my work with patients and their families who are home Hospice I hear a lot of people say that they feel isolated from their friends. When I ask what their friends could do that would be most helpful in cutting through that feeling of isolation the most frequent reply is: “SEND A CARD OR A LETTER”.
This advice may seem outdated in our world of modern methods of communication so let me explain why cards or letters are preferred in many cases:
A card or letter can be dealt with as the patient or caregiver has time or energy.
A postal message is more helpful than an email message because many times the patient can’t easily view a computer screen but they can hold a card.
Phone calls sometimes come in busy moments; one example of this is if the patient needs help with toileting. Calls at this time are either very short or go to voice mail. A voice mail creates another task for a caregiver who may already feel overwhelmed and exhausted.
A patient has the energy to read a lot more cards than see visitors.
Visitors are sometimes discouraged for infection control reasons.
Please take this posting as an encouragement today to send a card or letter to someone you love who is ill. The will appreciate the card and the person who sends it!
Ebola is a word that makes us sit up and take notice when we hear it. The reason why is simple: we know it is a disease that kills. Hospitals throughout the nation have been preparing for the possible event of having a patient with Ebola at their hospital. Our hospital is no exception to this trend. The people pictured above are health care workers in Africa dressed in protective attire. Their clothing illustrates the best way to protect yourself from getting the disease: wearing clothing that will prevent the germs to spread from the patient to the person who is caring for them.
In some respects hospitals prepare for Ebola every day. We have germ transmission prevention protocols that we put in place when patients have illnesses that spread through any form of contract. We have different levels of precaution that are dependent on how the illness is spread. Prevention protocol is designed to protect the health care worker, other patients, and visitors in the hospital.
Some people over the years have resisted some forms of isolation precautions because they are either time consuming or uncomfortable. I am struck by the fact that failure to wear protective clothing not only puts you at risk, it puts others who have no idea you have been exposed to an identified danger at risk. As a Chaplain, I probably won’t be in a room with an Ebola patient. We are limiting the number of employees who can be in those rooms again to eliminate the possibility of transmission of the illness. In thinking about the ramifications this has on my role in health care I have thought of these methods of providing pastoral care to the patient:
Visiting from outside the room using a telephone where the patient can see me through the glass window.
Sending in devotional material with staff that are authorized to enter the room.
Engaging staff who work on the unit where the patient is located to address their emotions to this unusual reality should it take place.
I am sure if we have an Ebola patient more opportunities will come to mind as the situation develops. I am glad that before such a patient arrives I already have a pastoral care plan in mind to bring them spiritual comfort during a very upsetting time in their lives.
Tonight we held one of three “Services of Remembrance” that hold each year at the hospital. They are for families who have a patient died while under our care. These services give family survivors a chance to receive a carnation and speak the name of their loved one and say a word or two about them. It also includes songs and various readings and a meditation. One of the songs we use is “The Wind Beneath My Wings”. The image of the dove is one of the graphics that is displayed while the song is played. I never tire of this image because it is an image that reminds me of hope and the fact we do not stand on our own, we stand on the love and support of God.
Following the service I was able to visit with some of those who attended. Many commented that the messages of hope that the service contained were comforting to them. That commentary sticks with me. Messages of hope are powerful! But sometimes we do not see them or do not take time to meditate on them to gain the richness of support they provide. I encourage you today and each day, look for messages of hope! When you find them cherish and remember them! Even better, share that message with others!
