Considering the spiritual needs of an individual and those important to them can enhance communication and decision-making, both vital components to providing positive, quality end of life care.
Starting the conversation about spiritual needs and being with a person in spiritual distress can be difficult for staff and volunteers. Expressing spiritual distress is a challenge for patients and their loved ones, as knowing where to begin and how to put feelings into words can feel impossible.
The St Barnabas Hospice Spiritual Wellbeing Boxes have been developed to make vital interaction between patients, their loved ones, our staff and volunteers a little easier.
The boxes have been developed to support expression of things unsaid, of feelings that can be overwhelming or that words just don’t do justice to. They allow for shared time with others on an equal footing, a chance to say things that don’t easily fit into visiting time conversations, and can offer those whose social interaction and opportunity for meaningful activity is reduced due to the stage of their illness.
By opening the box a conversation is started, human curiosity is aroused, Personhood comes to the fore, a connection is formed and a journey begins.
Yve White-Smith St Barnabas Spiritual Wellbeing Team Jan 2016