Chaplains are available to provide religious, cultural, spiritual and pastoral care to patients/ relatives and even health professionals. 

 

Religious needs 

Religion in ethnic minorties may not be available in the hospital chaplaincy but chaplains maintain good contact with other religious leaders. Therefore details can be passed on to patients or to the families if they wish to speak to them to resolve religious dilemmas. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cultural needs

This is the need for familiarity in the environment in terms of food, customs, language and family structures. For example in the chinese culture the belief of yin and yang coexists. When such forces are imbalanced it results in poor health. Yin is associated with cold foods, whereas yang is asscoiated with hot foods. Therefore in certain diseases such as cancer (believed to be a cold disease), it should be treated with the opposite force known as yang. Relatives may susequently bring in hot food for patients and this should be permitted as long as there is no harm imposed to the medical diet.

 

Spiritual needs

Patients may wish to speak to the chaplains to seek an non judgemental individual who will listen patiently to them and this provides a source of support. Patients may wish to talk about events which has occured in thir life and reminisce about achievements which they were particularly proud of. This results in comfort that their life has been well lived and purposeful.

 

Pastoral needs

Chaplains can lead the funeral of the deceased particularly if the patient and/or relatives have developed a trusting relationship during the period of care. This allows families to be comforted in the knowledge that someone who knows the patient well is leading the funeral.