Spiritual Care and Dietary Services Kaiser Permanente Medical Center South Sacramento
Watson Caring Science Institute Values: Nurture Caring Relationships, Open to Mystery, Minister to Basic Emotional and Spiritual Needs
Nurturing Caring Relationships The Comfort Cart contains: Coffees, teas, water, sodas, juices Fruit, cookies, yogurts Interfaith spiritual supports Magazines And is a service for patients and families whose loved one is At end of life In palliative care Recently made a DNR status
Nurturing Caring Relationships The Comfort Cart is used to help patients and families: Stay in close proximity of one another Communicate more humanly and openly with physicians, nursing and other clinical team members social work, spiritual care, etc. Reduces stress and allows for a more natural healing environment to take place Treat the patient s room as if its more like home sustaining a loving, caring environment where end of life might occur Be a vessel of peace and tranquility
Nurturing Trust The Comfort Cart builds trust: By supporting the patient and family to discuss end of life issues more honestly, and easily using the hospitality of food and refreshments to bring peace, shared conversation and the beginning of some closure It helps families and loved ones present come to a deeper understanding of letting go and letting God bring peace By giving families and loved ones a chance to share life stories with the patient By assisting more introverted members of visitors to have something to do that reflects hospitality, giving, and caring By promoting healing within the patient s family as they begin the grieving journey
The Practice of Being Open
The Practice of Being Open to Mystery and Allow Miracles to Enter The Comfort Cart is a vehicle that has brought about healing in family relationships At a patient s ending of earthly life loved ones have brought forgiveness and peace into the patient s conversation, verbally or with body language Staff has been able to participate in a variety of ways by serving family and loved ones at the end of a patient s life, making a beginning closure with compassion, care and presence Miracles such as forgiveness, gratitude, peace and remembrance are fostered with this piece in making a healing environment If a patient is discharged, the remembrance made is one of home 7
Minister to Basic Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Human Needs
Emotional and Spiritual Needs
The Comfort Cart Why is it important? Shared hospitality is like sharing the body, mind and spirit together. It humanizes the last stage of life, even if the patient does not die in the hospital by: Helps people adjust expectations about last thing Hones the people s communications skills by easing the expression of feelings Aides in the beginning process of sharing family rituals, plans and honoring the loved one Celebrates the creativity in those who are present Helps in giving staff and patient, families a new sense of heart
Ministering to Basic Human Needs The Comfort Care leads to more patient compassion and caring at Kaiser South Sacramento by: Prayer Blankets for palliative care patients and those at end of life Healing Musicians harpist counselor who plays for palliative and dying patients and their families/friends Creation of No One Dies Alone Compassionate Visitors who sit and provide human compassionate presence for dying patients who are alone, patients who have families who need respite care, palliative care patients who need presence
Kaiser Permanente Medical Center South Sacramento s Comfort Cart has helped produce: Nurturing Relationships that have improved trust with staff and other helping caregivers A new sense of openness where the mystery of healing has taken on deep and newer meaning Compassionate Ministering to patient s basic physical, emotional and spiritual human needs COME AND JOIN US!