When doctors determine patients’ life expectancy to be six months or less, patients are considered palliative. Hospice offers care for the terminally ill patient’s body, mind and spirit. As part of the hospice team, chaplains support the spiritual needs of the patient and their family – a challenging and rewarding role. Dr Madison Cawdor shares his extensive experience as a United States-based hospice chaplain and explains the role’s demands, including the importance of both being present with and listening to patients while also employing an interdenominational approach (i.e. supporting regardless of religious practice). Dr Cawdor explores the role’s personal impacts, including being on call, sustained exposure to death and grief, and also the satisfaction of supporting patients. The demand for hospice care is projected to increase dramatically in the coming years, making understanding the demands of and approaches to this work crucial to facilitate both the recruitment and the retention of hospice chaplains.

中文翻译：

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“美好的死亡”：一位临终关怀牧师的临终关怀方法

当医生确定患者的预期寿命为六个月或更短时，患者被视为姑息治疗。临终关怀中心为绝症患者的身体、思想和精神提供护理。作为临终关怀团队的一员，牧师支持患者及其家人的精神需求——这是一个充满挑战和回报的角色。麦迪逊·考多博士分享了他作为美国临终关怀牧师的丰富经验，并解释了该角色的要求，包括与患者在一起并倾听患者意见的重要性，同时还采用跨教派的方法（即无论宗教信仰如何，都提供支持）。考多博士探讨了这一角色对个人的影响，包括随叫随到、持续接触死亡和悲伤，以及支持患者的满意度。预计未来几年对临终关怀的需求将急剧增加，因此了解这项工作的需求和方法对于促进临终关怀牧师的招募和留用至关重要。