CHAPLAINS in care homes play a vital part in building community
and helping residents to come to terms with ageing, a new study has
found.
The report The Promise of Chaplaincy says that most
residents in care homes are there reluctantly, and chaplains can
help people to come to terms with their move, and build a sense of
community with the other residents.
Research into the part played by chaplains was carried out by Dr
Harriet Mowat, a researcher for the Methodist Homes Association
(MHA), a charity that provides accommodation, care, and support
services for 16,000 older people nationwide, including 5000 people
in care homes. It employs more than 130 chaplains in the UK.
The director of chaplaincy and spirituality at MHA, the Revd Dr
Keith Albans, said: "The research endorses the role played by our
chaplains in helping older people, with or without a faith, to deal
with some of the key challenges that present themselves in old age,
ranging from increasing frailty to issues with daily life, family,
and relationships.
"While many people moving to care homes are glad and relieved to
be safe and supported, this is often accompanied by a sense of loss
and grieving for the way of life they have left behind. The
research highlighted that one of the key benefits of chaplaincy is
helping people to come to terms with this, and with some of the
other inevitable changes that occur in old age, so they can find
pleasure, enjoyment, and peace in the present."
The study suggests that chaplains not only provide a listening
presence to share the concerns of residents, but also act as
catalysts in community-building, and in forging links with
residents, families, staff, and volunteers.
"The chaplain role serves as an embodiment of the caring ethos
and values that MHA seeks to nurture in all its staff, and it is
clear that, regardless of whether people have a faith or not, the
role is valued and appreciated by residents, staff, and relatives,"
Dr Mowat said.