As part of Dying Matters Awareness Week 2022, our Spiritual Care Coordinator, Shakila Chowdhury, explains how our Spiritual Care and Wellbeing Team support patients right up until the end of life and to die #InAGoodPlace.
What does it mean to be in a ‘good place’ to die?
“Death and dying is as individual as each one of us. Every person will experience death in their own way, but to be in a ‘good place’ to die we need to start to acknowledge that death will happen and talk about what is important to us and what will give us peace and comfort during that time.
“As a Spiritual Care Coordinator here at The Hospice Charity Partnership, I support patients at both our Selly Park and Erdington sites with their spiritual wellbeing.
“Spirituality is a personal journey to finding purpose, meaning, happiness and being at peace. Having a terminal illness often leads people to think about their lives in a new way and think about death, which may change what is important to them and the journey they are on.
“I believe spiritual care is at the heart of palliative care, so here at our charity we try to provide holistic care by caring for a person’s individual needs, providing emotional and spiritual support so that our patients can be at peace with what matters to them.
“We encourage talking about death and dying at every opportunity. We want to know how we can help our patients to be in a ‘good place’. We will listen and support them in whatever ways are meaningful to them and be with them through their journey.”
