Custom «Spirituality in Health Care» Essay Paper Sample

Devastation always ensues when family members, friends and well wishers to a sick person learn that the disease suffered by their loved one is significantly life-threatening or will eventually lead to problems that will alter life. Subsequently, these people are drastically expected to adapt to the new changes. As a result of all these sudden changes, there is a possibility that these people will detach and consequently suffer intense depression. In the event that the loved one dies, these people may experience impaired bereavement. Similarly, if the patient manages to survive devoid of any life threatening sickness, the ability of these people to connect as well as nurture the patient is greatly compromised. The connection between the people and their loved one who is now is suffering the devastating sickness needs to be preserved at all times. In this case, interventions in the initial stages can play a very crucial role in preserving this connection.

Components of a healing hospital

Creating a healing hospital means not only offering the treatment required by the patients in order for them to get well but also offering the emotional assistance that will cause their emotions to get healed as well. As a matter of fact, science has the ability to heal a disease. However, a human being can only be healed by love (Breeze, 2002). Doctors and caregivers have an additional responsibility of not only offering the technological curative measures but also the emotional assistance that will make patients heal within themselves even though some treatments will case them to experience shortcomings; sometimes incapacitation. There are several hospitals around the world offering diverse forms of treatment on different illnesses. As a matter of fact, the doctors and caregivers in many of these hospitals have almost the same training and experience depending on the area of specialization. However, the difference is brought about by the mission that these professionals together with their hospitals seek to pursue.

Modern health care technology is very important if there has to be success in treating any form of illness. However, without the inclusion of emotional aspects such loving care and closeness, there cannot be complete success. Our knowledge of the modern field of psychology has proved that love is very essential and crucial for human existence. This has been scientifically proved despite the fact that ancient people believed in its power too. This power is intense to the extent that if a baby is fed and not touched by anybody, it will die due to loss of weight. It is the power and intensity of human closeness, contact and love that the concept of healing hospital is built. In this concept, there are several components that are regarded crucial in creating a healing hospital. To start with, a series model of care is considered. This represents a sequential fashion of care at every given time. The second component is the provision of a parallel model of care. This involves introduction of curative measures that decrease progressively as well as palliative measures that increase progressively. The third component of healing hospital is the integrative model of care (Chapman, 2003). In this paradigm, there is introduction of healing and palliation alongside measures meant to enhance curative. These components of a healing hospital are highly related to spirituality. The inclusion of radical loving care can transform an ordinary hospital into a healing hospital.

A number of challenges exist for a healing hospital to be effective. In creating a healing hospital, there are numerous challenges that have tended to hamper those that pursue such missions in their respective hospitals. The challenges are actually characterized by the modern technological measures of healthcare thus rendering a great challenge to the pursuit of loving care. The first such challenge has to do with technology and prescription Drugs. It poses a challenge in the creation of a healing hospital in that through its streamlining there has been total depersonalization of aspects of interpersonal healing profession (Milstein, 2005). The second challenge that has totally tampered with a healing hospital full of loving care has to do with factors related to business. Most of the hospitals that would be willing to offer a healing hospital do not have technology as the major obstacle. In fact, it contributes a great deal. However, the challenge lay in the desire to increase market share as well as overall market share; it is all about profit maximization.

The third factor that played a role in hampering the creation of a healing hospital is bureaucracy. To be sincere, there are several factors that are common in relation to a hospital and prison. For instance, both patients and prisoners put on gowns. Similarly, the process of patient admission into the hospital and the process of imprisonment have a striking resemblance. Aside with the similarity of these two environments, however, is the bureaucracy that caregivers usually encounter in their process of work (Chapman, 2006). When caregivers are faced with the challenge of bureaucracy, they are indifferent on whether to look at the patients or the laid down procedures to be followed. As a matter of fact, bureaucracy is created due to the value attached on money. This may compromise the pursuit of loving care on the caregivers as they have to follow orders. Cynicism is the forth challenge towards a healing hospital. The principle behind cynicism is the impact silence can have on people. Thus telling something to people may lead to one missing them; a very painful thing. It is widely accepted that cynicism can be passed like a contagious disease and thus completely damaging. Finally, failed leadership is the major challenge towards attainment of a healing hospital. Actually, it is only through leadership that a golden opportunity for conversion of hospitals as technology houses into homes providing healing to the patients.

Positive biblical myths such as the parable of the Good Samaritan are useful in creating such a situation. For instance, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, the caregiver did not only take the attacked man to a Inn for food and treatment but also that he left enough money for further care to be accorded him. Moreover, the Good Samaritan promised to be available in case he was called upon to assist further. This parable gives a very crucial lesson to caregivers.