Whether they celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, or another spiritual holiday, or they find meaning and joy in familial and cultural traditions, this time of year is often deeply significant for many of our patients. Being hospitalized during the holiday season can not only interrupt comforting routines and abruptly halt special rituals, but it can leave patients feeling alone and out of place. That’s where PPMC’s interfaith chaplains come in.
Presby’s chaplains provide a unique level of care by developing connections with patients and families across religious and cultural lines, and by serving as a spiritual and emotional resource. During the holidays, some patients need a pastoral caregiver to hear they story, validate their experience, and provide encouragement as they cope with uncertainty. Others may require an advocate who can bring in more tradition-specific resources to maintain as normal an observance as possible. In each case, our interfaith chaplains are ready to help meet a particular patient's needs and ensure their time at PPMC is as comfortable as possible.
“The spiritual needs of our patients are as broad and unpredictable as the diversity of people who come here, but one theme that frequently rises to the fore over special holidays is that of ‘belonging,’” said John Ehman, MDiv, manager for Pastoral Care. “Chaplains help patients reconnect to the sense of belonging to family life and spiritual traditions that can be disrupted by illness or injury, and we also work to encourage and hallow those connections that prove resilient through health crises.”
To learn about the role PPMC's chaplains play in trauma care, check out System News!