| abstract |
Hospice is a term that is derived from the Latin hospitium which refers to hospitality, more specifically, a guest house that is run by a church or monastery.
In 1967, Physician Cicely Saunders uses the modern form of the word hospice to describe specialized care for the dying. Hospice caregivers face mental and physical
strain helping patients through Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross' five stages of death and dying: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance (DABDA). As a
consequence, hospice caregivers are in need of spiritual support as we serve terminally-ill patients and their loved ones. Many hospice caregivers are not
ordained but work as lay leaders that care for the sick and dying.
The purpose of this project is to help hospice team members become aware of the joyfulness of this ministry. This is a renewal project for one hospice
caregiving team and its impact is evaluated by professional committee members who are employed at Holisticare Hospice in Toms, River, New Jersey. These
evaluative meetings serve to foster conversations among hospice staff members that reflect on the joyful aspects of their life changing hospitality service.
The project starts as we view the documentary, Stories We Tell, and staff members articulate that they need more on-the job emotional support.
Caregivers identify with the people in the film.
The project involves workshop sessions with hospice caregivers and the information is analyzed to discover themes, commonalities, and patterns. The narrative
approach is used to analyze stories that develop from three participant sessions. Meanwhile, the microscope method (Identifying, Exploring, Connecting, and Applying),
is employed for theological reflection that sought to understand the human experience in order to inform future ministry. As a consequence, five themes emerge that
reveal the changing paradigms that contribute to finding joyfulness in hospice ministry. Using a spiritual formation process, the researcher addresses the problem
of a marked lack of support that hospice caregivers do experience. This spiritual formation is a transformative process that involves a series of sessions with
three study participants and meetings with six LAC members. The sessions and meetings raise awareness about hospice caregivers’ sense of joyfulness for the
purpose of energizing their hospice ministerial service.
|
