Revised script following the April 1 Supervision Zoom Meeting (also can be emailed by Joan to you as a WORD/PDF document)
Definition
of a Phone Visit:
A phone
visit can include phone, SKYPE, WhatsApp, Facetime or other electronic platform
depending on what makes sense for you and the individual.
Consent:
Because
spiritual care visits are traditionally provided in-person, it is important to
obtain explicit consent to hold the visit by this alternative means and to
document that consent was obtained from the patient/family member.
Two
Scripts Included In this Guideline:
A. Referral made by patient, family member or
staff member (non-emergency) –
B. On-Call Emergency (usually involving
end of life situations) –
Preparing
for a Phone Visit:
As much as
is possible and reasonable:
If speaking
with the nurse before the patient you might ask - What do I need to know about their health
status today? - Do they have any hearing or speaking impediments? – is there
anything else I need to know before I make this call? - Who are their emergency
contacts?
A. General Script: For referral or patient-generated request
Introduction:
Hello, is
this [patient name]?
If the
person who answers the phone is NOT the person you have been asked to speak
with…
·
See
suggested script on page 3
If the
person who answers the phone is the person i.e. “Yes, this is (patient name):
“Hello [name]. My name is [name]. I’m from the Spiritual Care Department. I am not calling with any medical or urgent
news. I’m part of the team that provides
emotional and spiritual support to patients and families. Is now a good time to chat for a few minutes?
If the
person says this is NOT a good time:
No
worries. I will call you back at a later
time. Is there a time of day that works
best for you? OK. I will try to call you
back at that time. If you find you could
use some spiritual or emotional
support in the meantime, ask you nurse to contact me. Otherwise, I will talk
with you soon.
If they say “Yes this is a good time,” continue below.
Wonderful. Usually I come around to visit people in the
hospital to offer spiritual and emotional support. But, to help prevent the spread of the Corona
Virus, we are reaching out to people by
phone. I just wanted to check-in. (select phrase that feels most natural to
you) How are you holding up?/How you are doing?/How have things been going for
you?
·
If
this leads to conversation/pastoral interventions, proceed with conversation.
We recognize
that hospitalizations can be stressful and affect you spiritually and
emotionally as well as physically. Has
anything been particularly challenging for you lately?
·
If
this leads to conversation/pastoral interventions, proceed with conversation.
Other questions you might ask to deepen the
conversation:
·
On
the other hand, has anything been helping you cope?
·
Have
you had people call you while in the hospital? –
·
As
I said, one of the things that I am here for is spiritual support. That can mean different things for different
people. Sometimes it means supporting
people in a certain religion and praying for them. Sometimes it means helping them connect to
their meaning and purpose, but not a certain religion. Are you of a certain religious or spiritual tradition?
·
Can
you tell me a little bit about what you find most meaningful? - Any other
thoughtful questions/statements that work during in-person visits.
If this lead to conversation/pastoral
interventions, proceed with conversation.
Suggestions if this comes up at the
beginning of the conversation:
ONLY If they ask about the purpose of the call during the
conversation.
The reason I was calling you is that upon your
admission to the hospital, you or somebody who was with you, indicated that you
might want to talk to a chaplain. I was
calling to see how I could support you.
OR
The reason I
was calling you is because [name] referred you.
They thought that you might benefit from talking to a chaplain.
If a follow up appointment seems appropriate
We have
talked about some pretty important things today. Would it be helpful to you for me to follow
up with you on another day? Would that
be okay with you?
Closing:
Close the conversation Well, thank you for
talking with me on the phone today. If
appropriate, offer prayer/blessing/song etc.
Introduction If the person who answers the
phone is NOT the person you have been asked to speak with…
Is [patient’s name] currently available?
If yes
Proceed with conversation as listed above.
If no. No worries. I will try back at another time to reach
[patient’s name].
If yes. Wonderful. Is this a
good time to speak with them?
Refer back
to the general script on Page 2
If this lead
to conversation/pastoral interventions, proceed with conversation.
We recognize that hospitalizations can be
stressful and affect families/friends spiritually and emotionally, as well as
the patient. Has anything been
particularly challenging for you lately?
·
If
this lead to conversation/pastoral interventions, proceed with conversation.
Other questions you might ask to deepen the
conversation:
·
On
the other hand, has anything in particular been helping you cope?
·
As
I said, one of the things that I am here for is spiritual support. That can mean different things for different
people. Sometimes it means supporting
people in a certain religion and praying for them. Sometimes it means helping them connect to
their meaning and purpose, but not a certain religion. Are you of a certain religious or spiritual
orientation?
·
I
like to know a little bit more about people.
Can you tell me a little bit about what you find most meaningful?
·
Any
other thoughtful questions/statements that work during in-person visits.
If a follow up appointment seems appropriate:
We have
talked about some pretty important things today. Would it be helpful for me to follow up with
you again? Would that be okay with
you?
What is the best way to reach you?
Closing:
Thank you
for talking with me today and please know that Spiritual Care is available to
you whenever you might need it. You can
reach me by asking a nurse. I will also
call back at another time to try to reach [patient’s name].
B. For On-Call Situations Involving End
of Life Situations:
Hi I’m
……. The On-call chaplain. I understand
from the nurse/Dr. that you are going through a very difficult time right now.
How might I be of help to you?
Can you tell
me a bit about the person you are concerned about and what they might hope for
or want now?
How can we
best honour them?
Things to
offer:
·
Bereavement
support
·
Funeral
planning assistance and information
·
Prayers
·
Scripture
reading
·
Song/hymn
as appropriate
·
Blessing
of the body – scan, remembrance and prayers
·
5
Finger prayer
·
Invite
the family to gather around the bed and place a hand on the deceased, as
appropriate, or hover above
“LOVE”
When you need to talk a
family member on phone or video through saying goodbye to a patient who is in their
last hours or minutes.
Lead the way forward
“I am [name], one
of the [professionals] on the team.”
“For most people,
this is a tough situation.”
“I’m here to walk you through it if you’d like.”
“Here’s what our institution / system / region is doing for
patients with this condition.”
(State the part directly relevant to that person.)
Offer the four things that matter to most people
“So we have the
opportunity to make this time special.”
“Here are five
things you might want to say. Only use the ones that ring true for you.”
“Please forgive me”
“I forgive you”
“Thank you”
“I love you”
“Goodbye”
“Do any of those
sound good?”
Validate what they want to say
“I think that is a beautiful thing to say”
“If my [daughter] were saying that to me, I would feel so valued
and so touched.”
“I think he/she can hear you even if they can’t say anything back”
“Go ahead, just say one thing at a time. Take your time.”
Expect emotion
“I can see that
he/she meant a lot to you.”
“Can you stay on the line a minute? I just want to check on how
you’re doing”
