LONG-TERM CARE NEWS
Spiritual care
promotes employee well-being By Sarah Quadri onnie Jennings is joyfully playing peak-a-boo with her daughter – for the first time in 33 years. It’s a feeling she’s savouring while working from home and caring for her daughter at the same time. But this joy is only a recent development for Jennings, after many long and difficult days, since the pandemic began. “My daughter Sarah is non-verbal and has a disability; she usually attends a day program while I’m at work every day,” says Jennings, an Ontario-based former Personal Support Worker (PSW) turned Service Coordinator at SE Health – a not-for-profit social enterprise and one of Canada’s largest health care organizations specializing in home care. “When the pandemic hit, all of Sarah’s programs stopped; my husband and I were working fulltime and we don’t have help. I have a very strong work ethic and it was extremely hard for me to balance everything – it was a huge adjustment and I felt overwhelmed. I cried every day for three months.” During these trying times, Jennings turned to one of the only places she knew she could – for comfort and support – her employer, where she’s worked for almost 20 years. “I’m not a spiritual person but when I heard about the care services that SE Health is offering, I thought to myself, let’s try this to see if it will help me,” adds Jennings. What Jennings discovered was even more than she hoped for and it helped her to see her situation in a different light. “I found a wonderful woman by the name of Susan Morgan and after responding to me immediately, Susan told me that she has experience living and working with people who have disabilities. Right away, I felt a
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42 HOSPITAL NEWS JANUARY 2021
Bonnie Jennings with her daughter Sarah.
IN OUR SPIRITUAL CARE ROLES, OUR TEAM IS TRYING TO MODEL THAT; TO ENCOURAGE AWARENESS OF ONE ANOTHER, THE APPRECIATION OF OUR SHARED VULNERABILITY AND TRUST THAT WE ARE STRONGER AND MORE RESILIENT WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER. sense of relief – Susan knows what I’m going through. She was supportive, non-judgmental and kind; she really listened to me and was honest. Susan
also encouraged me to realize that the situation I am experiencing isn’t just about me; it’s about Sarah, too. She helped me to see that Sarah’s routine
also changed and that I needed to be aware of what she may be feeling. Susan earned my trust immediately and when she says she was going to check up on me, she was true to her word.” “I understand that the focus of my role is to be a compassionate and listening presence – to reflect together with those I encounter. Human connection is impactful and can energize us,” says Susan Morgan, Spiritual Care Provider at SE Health. “As individuals, we already have what we need for our journeys, but in times of stress we doubt that. We do our best work when we do it together. In our spiritual care roles, our team is trying to model that; to encourage awareness of one another, the appreciation of our shared vulnerability and trust that we are stronger and more resilient when we work together.” At SE Health, collaborating to promote the health and well-being of its employees and clients is paramount, especially during the pandemic – ensuring everyone is receiving the support they need, no matter what role they have in the organization. As part of that commitment to care, SE Health is proud to be the only home care organization in Canada to offer spiritual care, at no cost, to its employees and clients, in all its service delivery centres, across the country. Since the pandemic began, the shift to virtual spiritual care is having an enormous impact, benefitting many people. “Virtual spiritual care is the cornerstone of SE Health’s commitment to its internal and external communities during COVID-19,” says Nancy Lefebre, Senior Vice President of Knowledge and Practice and Executive Director, Saint Elizabeth Foundation. “The need is greater than ever and our response remains steadfast – a wonderful team of spiritual www.hospitalnews.com
