Pastoral Care in Hospitals

An essential handbook for bedside ministry, and for providing meaningful and enriching comfort to the sick and dying.

Bringing comfort and concern to the seriously ill or injured is a challenge for lay people and clergy alike. In this practical guide, Neville Kirkwood shares wisdom gained from years of experience as a hospital chaplain–on the art of hospital visitation. This classic handbook, now updated, contains all the tools needed to address a variety of concerns:

* Considering the privacy of the patient, and of friends and relatives
* Realizing the time and place for prayer
* Avoiding the pitfalls of bedside ministry
* Imparting feelings of empathy and awareness
* Handling depression, suffering, and despair
* Understanding the non-verbal communications of the patient
* Accepting when your services are not welcome
* Acknowledging your own motivations

Featuring additional sections addressed to clergy and trained lay pastoral workers, as well as those designed for lay volunteers, as well as a variety of exercises and prayers for specific circumstances, this is a "must-have resource for all who work with the sick and dying" (South Dakota Church News).