What We Do For Patients and Family
Being hospitalized, dealing with illness and uncertainty can be extremely challenging. Many people find that talking with a Chaplain can help during this period. Chaplains provide spiritual care support for patients, family members, and staff members at Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center.As an integral part of our health care team, chaplains visit patients from all faiths and denominations and religious traditions, persons that are spiritual but not religious, and person of no faith. Spiritual Care provides spiritual and emotional support by listening with openness and empathic understanding. When someone is experiencing a spiritual need, fear, anger, loneliness, helplessness, anxiety, grief or loss, we can help them find their own purpose and meaning.
Your Chaplains Can Assist with:
- Listening and presence – especially when you need a heart-to-heart talk.
- Support when you hear of a new diagnosis, recurrence of a serious or life-threatening illness that makes you anxious.
- Spiritual Guidance & Counseling when difficult decisions need to be talked through.
- Consultation to help you, your family and friends work through spiritual questions.
- Counseling to help you make decisions around your spiritual goals, advance directives or end-of-life issues.
- Sacramental support like Holy Communion, Anointing, baptisms and even weddings.
- Bereavement Counseling through our “Journeying Through Grief” support group.
- Comfort Cart – an assortment of refreshments and spiritual aides for your loved ones and family at end of life.
- Support with grief, loss and bereavement for patients and family members
- Religious texts and spiritual literature
- Religious rituals or sacraments
- Ritual items for most faith traditions and spiritual practices
- Prayer and blessings, if desired
- Contact and coordination with your own clergy and home congregation