One of the very best new programs being developed by the Spirituality Department is the Senior Chaplain Program. It is designed to empower specific residents within a given facility by giving those with pastoral and spiritual gifts and talents the title of “Senior Chaplain” to assist in servicing the spiritual needs of their friends and neighbors in the facility. It is a program which gives purpose and meaning to those who participate, as well as being a source of both more constant and better care for all those they assist.
One of the recent facility’s to adopt and implement the program is our facility in Spencer County, KY. Director of Spirituality Vernon Jewel has found that in rolling out the program he has found it effective to do so in two groupings, one for the women and one for the men.
Below are his thoughts and pictures from his roll out of his Men’s Senior Chaplain Group:
We started the program Courageous the first week in February 2013 and there were seven men who completed the program initially. We first viewed the movie Courageous and then went step by step through the program. The men got to see different situations in life that pertained to their life and how to apply biblical scriptures to help solve the issues. We are working on how each one of them can use their new understand to help others in our home such as; passing out encouraging scriptures or quotes, prayers at nurses unit, welcome new men that come to stay with us, etc. Those who completed the program and were presented with their certificate entitled “The Resolution”.This has been a wonderful journey with the men it has giving them a time to connect to each other and to search themselves to see their purpose and learn to live it out.
Vernon Jewell – Director of Spirituality
Signature Health CARE of Spencer County