‘I’m not religious’ is a familiar phrase a patient may say to me when we meet for the first time. When we talk a bit more, this usually means that they do not attend a place of worship or see themselves aligned to a particular faith community.
Weston Hospicecare Spiritual Care Team is available to patients and families as they face a life changing situation that may or not be expected.
‘I didn’t think I believed in anything, but talking about this has helped me find peace’.
This statement came from a patient who had declared themselves to be an atheist. He had ruled out the possibility of faith for himself although he respected the views of others who feel differently. In our conversations, he talked about the things in his life that mattered: family, friends, work, a life long hobby. His peace came from recognising that he had been a good husband, father and grandfather, a respected work colleague and a loyal friend.
The Spiritual Care Team in the hospice is available to all patients and families to enable difficult conversations and to support people with distress as they face the big life questions. Spiritual care offers time for people to reflect on life’s experiences in all their variety. We have good inks with representatives of different faith and belief groups in our area. This means that if there is a spiritual need from a specific faith and belief group, we are able to access that support. Inter- faith week reminds us that we don’t need to think the same as anyone else to be supportive and compassionate.