Deepening our capacity to respond

Offering spiritual care in community and residential aged care frequently means spiritual support for people living with a terminal illness, and those nearing the end of their lives. Pastoral Care Manager Ilsa Hampton partnered with a tertiary institution to devise an innovative accredited program for experienced spiritual care staff who needed to be taken to the next stage in their practice. La Trobe University expert Bruce Rumbold presented on health promoting pastoral care as part of the course’s innovation. At the conclusion of the program, participants’ self-evaluation showed a movement towards deeper practise across all areas. Within Baptcare, specific goals were then set in relation to practice. Each spiritual carer is now being coached and supported by a Chaplain Team Leader on the implementation and evaluation of these goals. The value in presenting this project is that others may be inspired to find or develop training that will make them fit for the future – training that meets the needs of their workforce. This project also demonstrates the value of partnerships; and an approach to integration and implementation that is possible across multiple sites simultaneously by engaging staff individually as well as collectively.