Mind Body Spirit – January-February 2018

Mind, Body, Spirit: Linking Lives for Health and Wholeness

The Faith Community Nurse Health Ministry Newsletter

January/February 2018, Vol. 3, Issue 1

SPIRITUAL CARE

As faith community nurses we are intentional “ about the care of the spirit as well as the promotion of whole-person health and the prevention or minimization of illness within the context of the faith community and the wider community” we serve (ANA/HMA, 2017, pg. 1).

There are many definitions of spiritual care. The one that guides our nursing specialty practice is: “The practical expression of presence, guidance, and interventions, individual or communal, to support, nurture, or encourage an individual’s or group’s ability to achieve wholeness; health; personal, spiritual, religious and social well-being; integration of body, mind, and spirit; and a sense of connection to self, others, and a higher power” (ANA/HMA, 2017, pg. 90).

This definition explains:

The skills we use: “The practical expression of presence, guidance, and interventions, individual or communal”
The purpose of our nursing care: “to support, nurture, or encourage an individual’s or group’s ability to achieve wholeness; health; personal, spiritual, religious and social well-being;”
The outcomes expected: “integration of body, mind, and spirit; and a sense of connection to self, others, and a higher power.”

How can we translate this definition into the actually care we provide and the programming we coordinate? Consideration of that question will be on on-going thread in this newsletter this year. Please share resources that you have found helpful related to assessment of spiritual strengths and needs, how you determined desired outcomes, the process you followed to develop and implement a plan, who else was involved, and what did you learn as you evaluated the outcomes of care? What will you do differently next time?

Please send along all ideas to peggymatteson@cox.net and we will together work them into information for the newsletter.

SELF-CARE

As spiritual leaders we are called to meet the needs of others. We pray for them, we counsel and encourage them often while unintentionally neglecting our own spiritual health.

In The Spiritual Leader’s Guide to Self-Care by Rochelle Melander and Harold Eppley the reader is asked to consider: When you imagine yourself doing something wonderfully spiritual what would it be? and What personal spiritual practices have you found helpful in the past? The answers to these questions are unique to each of us and will vary over time based on our ever changing life experiences.

After choosing one or more spiritual practices we then need to take the necessary time and process to integrate them into our life. By consciously attending to our own spiritual care we will improve our effectiveness as a spiritual leader for others.

RESOURCES FOR OUR PRACTICE

Educational Tools

“Put The Fire Under Us”: Church Spurs Parishioners To Plan For Illness and Death.

Nationwide, only a third of Americans have documented their end-of-life wishes, and for black adults 65 or older, rates are much

lower. A pastor in Boston is trying to close this gap by facilitating end-of-life planning workshops at her church. To read more Google the title. You can implement a program such as this, too.

Two items below provide information about organ donation an important topic when discussing end-or-life issues. The resources will help you organize one of your workshops

Talking About the Opioid Epidemic

1 in 5 Americans say they know someone who has died from a prescription painkiller overdose (Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll, 11/17). To facilitate discussion around this topic a poster and a power point presentation are available for download from the Kaiser Family Foundation survey results

RESOURCES FOR OUR ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Exploring organ donation with families of pediatric patients. When a family within our faith community has a child who has dying and are considering organ donation we need to know how to best support them as they consider this difficult decision. The article which appeared in the Oct. 2017 issue of American Nurse Today offers valuable information and may be read on-line

Sharing the Gift of Life – A Resource Guide for Faith Leaders on Organ and Tissue Donation and National Donor Sabbath provides information about how we may support people of all ages who are asking about organ donation. Download brochure

Continuing Education

On-line Continuing Education Opportunity

Update: What Nurses Need to Know About Human Trafficking. Human trafficking is much broader than, but also includes sex trafficking. Victims of human trafficking in the U.S. live in cities, towns, suburbs, and rural areas and are made to work within a variety of industries and services. Learn more so you can make your faith community more aware of the problem and how the church may be supportive of victims. There is also information on how to identify youth who may unknowingly fall into a recruiting scheme and how to guide them. The full article with a number of resources is available at Journal of Christian Nursing. Directions for the Online CE Test is available at Test for 2.0 contact hours

Conferences

Refresh Your Soul Conference on Positive Aging, March 12^th, 9:00am to 3:30 pm at the Cintas Center at Xavier University. Keynote speaker: Dr. Gary Chapman, best selling author of The 5 Love Languages. For more information go to com/RYS

Igniting Change and Innovation: The Impact of Health Education, April 4^th–6^th Columbus, OH. More information available

*A valuable tool on the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) website is: A Justification Toolkit & Talking Points to help you explain to your employer or funder the value to your work if you attend. Print out the document and utilize it to facilitate the funding of your attendance at programs that will enhance your work.

Innovations in Faith-Based Nursing Conference, June 18^th-21^st, Indiana Wesleyan University – School of Nursing, Marion, IN. For more information go to Nursing Innovations

Infusing Hope in Nursing: A Christian Perspective, July 19^th-22^nd at Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA. For more information go to Nurses Christian Fellowship International Regional Conference

The Sacred Practice of Caring: Partnering for a Healthy, Hopeful Future, Sept. 8^th-10^th Erlanger, KY (Right next to Cincinnati Airport) Save The Date Flyer

Webinars

9^th, 2:00 (EST) – Keeping Your Congregation Safe: Tips for Preventing Sexual Harassment in Your Church. This presentation will discuss what sexual harassment is, how it manifests itself in congregations, and how to respond in the current legal landscape. The presenter will share case studies and answer questions. Register to join the webinar for a better understanding of this important topic, how to prevent it, and what to do if it is happening in your church.

Register for this free webinar presented by the Insurance Board. If you miss the live presentation it is still available on the website and listed under Past Webinars.

You may also register for future Webinars, free from the Insurance Board:

March 14^th, 2:00 (EST) – Driver Management for Owned and Non-owned Vehicles
April 11^th, 2:00 (EST) – Risk Management for Camps
May 9^th, 2:00 (EST) – Ladder Safety
August 8^th, 2:00 (EST) – Unique Risks – Preventing Sexual Abuse in the School Environment
12^th, 2:00 (EST) – Trending Risk Management Concerns for Churches

DATES ON YOUR UCC CALENDAR

Some of these dates provide the opportunity to integrate health ministry activities with programming of other ministries. Direct links are provided when available

Feb. 11^th Racial Justice Sunday

March 4^th-10^th UCC Women’s Week
(Materials will be available on UCC website)

April 6^th-8^th UCC New England Women’s Celebration, Portland, ME
Open to all women Information and registration

May 20^th Mental Health Sunday
(Materials will be available through UCC website)

June 24^th Open and Affirming Sunday
(Materials will be available through the UCC website)

FUTURE ISSUES

Have something you want to share with your colleagues?

Are you looking for something to assist you in your ministry?

That which we share with others multiplies immeasurably. Contact Peggy Matteson