Pastoral Care Services

Article Reviews

Parish Nursing: Stories of Service and Care Verna B. Carson, Harold G. Koenig/ Templeton Foundation Press, 2002

Description: Before there were word processors, computers, typewriters, or other implements to write with, there were stories. The collective wisdom of generations has been passed down through story telling. Stories spark the imagination; they inspire and motivate; they teach and encourage; they correct and challenge. Stories are indeed powerful. And so we have chosen to present the stories of parish nurses - to allow you to hear them describe their journeys in their own voices. Hopefully you will learn from them, be inspired and motivated by them, and allow your imagination free reign to envision parish nursing operating in your church and your healthcare system. We believe that parish nursing offers hope to a beleaguered and increasingly inadequate healthcare system where the demands for care, especially long term care, are outstripping the available resources. People want to be cared for in a holistic manner - to be heard, to share in decision making about their lives, to be loved even when they are unlovable, to be accepted as they are in their brokenness, to be encouraged to delineate their own values, goals, and personal views, and to be recognized as more than a diseased gall bladder or a serious case of depression. Patients want health care providers to see beyond presenting symptoms to the impact of these symptoms on their lives, their work, their capacity to experience joy, their ability to engage in family life and their experience of spirituality. Parish nurse recognize this and respond to it. This is a book about their stories - their callings, their struggles, and their joys.

Spirituality in Patient Care: Why, How, When, and What Harold George Koenig / Templeton Foundation Press, 2002

Description: This book provides a short, practical course for health professionals interested in identifying and addressing the spiritual needs of patients. It is intended as a guide for practicing physicians, medical students, residents, and possibly students in other health professions. The primary audience, however, is physicians who wish to know how to integrate spirituality into clinical practice in an effective, sensitive, and sensible manner. Nurses and chaplains may also find this small book useful as they interact with doctors, other health professionals, and hospital administrators. Despite the fact that nearly two-thirds of American medical schools in 2001 taught required or elective courses on religion, spirituality, and medicine, few doctors today address the spiritual needs of patients. Even in strongly religious areas of the United States, less than one-third of physicians even inquire about the patient's religious denomination, and fewer than one in ten routinely take a spiritual history. Many physicians say they feel uncomfortable addressing religious issues or don't have time to do this. Others don't see addressing spiritual issues as part of their job, don't understand why it should be, don't know how or when to do it, and can't imagine what the results would be if they did. This is a book about the why's, how's, when's, and what's of addressing spiritual issues in patient care. Length: 75 pages.

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