Spiritual Care at UHN

Spiritual & Religious Care

Our Vision

Spiritual Care is care of individuals, focusing on personal beliefs, core values, significant relationships, meanings, and behaviours around which we understand our lived experience. Spirituality refers to that part in each of us which seeks to find meaning and purpose in our lives.

At UHN, we recognize that health care involves the whole person – mind, body and spirit. In times of illness, trauma and loss, people often require more than physical care to help them cope. Many find their spirituality helps them maintain health and provides support in the midst of life transitions by integrating their body, mind, and spirit.

Spiritual Care Professionals facilitate expression of an individual’s beliefs, values, concerns, and emotions in a way that honours all feelings. We understand that spiritual expression can take many forms: interpersonal relationships, ties to community, artistic creation, religious practice, connection to nature, and more. We strive to support all aspects of spiritual expression and to respect the spiritual dimension of all persons regardless of race, colour, culture, belief system, ability, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Spiritual Care Professionals are part of the healthcare team providing care to patients and families at UHN, as well as offering spiritual care to staff. Many patient care areas have a designated Spiritual Care Professional as part of the team. You can ask to speak with this member of the team at any time.

What We Offer

• An opportunity to explore the spiritual significance and meaning of illness, suffering, and life transitions

• An opportunity to express feelings and concerns

• Encouragement and solace

• Support for loss and grief

• Opportunities for prayer, meditation, and reflection

• Facilitation of religious or spiritual rituals when requested

• Support through one to one visits

Spiritual Care Professionals at UHN

Downtown Toronto Healthcare Spiritual & Religious
Forum

The Downtown Toronto Healthcare Spiritual and Religious Forum serves to provide a link between the complementary roles of the downtown healthcare institutions and the local faith communities to assist in providing for the spiritual and religious needs for patients and their families. Spiritual and religious care is an essential element in quality healthcare. Spiritual Care Professionals and the local faith communities are the major providers of this care. The Downtown Toronto Healthcare Spiritual and Religious Forum seeks to ensure the opportunity for participating healthcare institutions to access and utilize the available spiritual and religious community resources.
With representation from both the healthcare providers and the faith community, The Downtown Toronto Healthcare Spiritual and Religious Forum functions in a supportive and advisory capacity to healthcare institutions and their provision of spiritual care. This forum is a way for Spiritual Care Chaplaincy Services to be affiliated with the wider faith community.
Primary Objectives:
To act as a forum for the discussion of matters pertaining to Spiritual Care/Chaplaincy Services and the participating downtown healthcare institutions. Discussion will focus on, but is not limited to Education, Research and Marketing/PR.

Definition of Spirituality

pirituality is an awareness of purpose and the search to understand meaning in life. It implies a search for the sacred, a conscious striving to move beyond isolation and self-absorption to a deeper awareness of interconnectedness with self, other human beings and the transcendent. Spirituality springs from the belief that we are more than what we experience with our senses.
The spiritual quest is characterized by a personal search for wholeness and meaning, seen in ourselves by:
•  A sense of inner peace
•  Compassion for others
•  Reverence for life
•  Gratitude and appreciation for diversity

Common Misunderstandings

“Some people ask…”	Spiritual Care at UHN - Facts
“What if I’m not a religious person?”	You do not need to be religious to benefit from spiritual care. Spirituality is about finding meaning, value, and connection, especially during times of difficulty.
“Will you try to convert me?”	No. Spiritual Care Professionals respect your spiritual and religious beliefs. We are not here to change them.
“Is the spiritual care person a volunteer from a church?”	No. Spiritual Care Professionals are employed by UHN. We are professionally trained to work with people in hospital.
“Is spiritual care only for someone who is dying?”	No. Spiritual care at UHN is for everyone seeking personal growth or coping with change, illness, or loss.
“Is spiritual care available for employees of the hospital?”	Yes. Spiritual care is available for all patients, families AND staff.

Patient Care

When to Ask For Spiritual Care

•  In response to a request from a patient, family member, or friend
•  When faith, spirituality, meaning-making, or all of these together is obviously important
•  When a patient, loved one, or staff member seeks a religious or spiritual ritual
•  When a patient, their family members or everyone involved, is struggling with impending surgery, prognosis or diagnosis, death and dying, or significant loss
•  When a patient or their family’s spirit seems troubled
•  When the treatment team requires a religious or spiritual assessment of a patient
•  When a patient is separated from or has few visible supports
•  When a patient is close to death or has died
•  When staff seek support to identify internal or external resources when faced with workplace challenges

Religious Services at UHN

Toronto Rehab Services

E.W. Bickle Centre for Complex Continuing Care
Sunday, 11:00 a.m. - Ecumenical Service - Auditorium
Tuesday, 2:00 p.m. - Hymn Sing - Auditorium
Wednesday, 11:00 a.m. - Anglican Eucharist - Auditorium
(followed by distribution of Holy Communion on the patient units)

Tuesday and Thursday from 3:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Distribution of Holy Communion to Roman Catholic patients

Third Saturday of each month, 2:30 p.m. - Roman Catholic Mass - Auditorium

University Centre
Fridays, 1:30 p.m. - Hymn Sing - 6 East, Patient Therapy Room
Tuesday, 12 Noon - Roman Catholic Mass - Prayer Meditation Room 1022c
Wednesday - Distribution of Holy Communion to Roman Catholic Patients - Room 324

Centres for Spiritual Reflection & Prayer

TGH
1st Floor, Norman Urquhart Wing (beside Tutti Frutti)
Muslim Prayer Room - 1st Floor, Gerrard Wing, Room 557
Click here for map

PMH
Main Floor, Room 519, near Spiritual Care office

TWH 7th Floor, Fell Pavilion, near elevators

Toronto Rehab
Lyndhurst Centre: First Floor Room 194
E.W. Bickle Centre for Complex Continuing Care: Room 204
University Centre: Room 7-065

Education & Development

Student Orientation Toolkit

This Student Orientation Toolkit is meant to be a starting point for CPE students before beginning their placement at UHN. Students are expected to go through the items below in order to ensure student safety, patient confidentiality, and optimal communication. Please print the Student Orientation Checklist and bring with you on the first day of the program.

Student Orientation Checklist

Hospital Information	Policies
UHN and hospitals' site maps	Uniform and Dress Code
Workplace Ethics	Cell Phones and Wireless PDA Devices
Privacy in Practice Student Checklist	Walk-Safe and Call-Safe Programs

Electronic Patient Records Training Please complete all modules below.
General modules	CPE Information
Spiritual Care - Telephone Visits	Patient Centred Care
Spiritual Care - Edit Faith Group	CPE Orientation Outline
Spiritual Care - Self Assessment	On-Call Orientation
Declaration form (click here for sample)	Code of Ethics

Privacy Training Module	Occupational Health
Please submit confirmation of completion of the module along with your signed Confidentiality Agreement.	Immunization Record
After achieving a passing score in the quiz, you will be prompted to print the final results.	Spiritual Care Department Information
You will not be able to save your results.	Spiritual Care brochure
Please begin the module when you are able to print the certificate.	Spiritual Care bookmark

Quiz Please print and bring with you