Spiritual Support for Stomach Cancer

Stomach Cancer Treatment: Spiritual Support

Many stomach cancer patients at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) make spiritual care a component of their treatment plan.

No matter what faith or religious beliefs you may have, you’re encouraged to practice your spirituality in our open and welcoming environment. Our goal is to provide a universal umbrella of support where patients of all backgrounds not only feel comfortable, but are motivated and inspired to apply their faith, in conjunction with treatment modalities, to help combat stomach cancer.

Spirituality can mean different things to different people, but some common foundational aspects include prayer, a sense of meaning in life, reading and contemplation, a sense of closeness to a higher being, meaningful interactions with others, and other experiences that reflect spiritual interaction or awareness.

Spiritual care is a natural extension of our whole-person approach to stomach cancer treatment. We are focused not only on the physical and emotional effects of cancer, but the spiritual effects as well. We provide you with the opportunity to explore the spiritual component in dealing with stomach cancer through programs and services for you and your family. These include:

• Individual and group prayer
• New patient orientation
• Counseling by a faith representative of your choice
• Pastoral comfort and support
• Prayer chains facilitated by hospital staff
• Weekly interfaith worship and communion services
• Family consultations
• Patient growth and support groups that focus on healing, faith and life
• Assistance with the development of advanced directives and/or living wills
• Grief and bereavement counseling and referral
• Taped ministry
• Communication with your local pastor and church
• Telephone consultations with patients/family members

Spiritual assessment

If requested, a member of the spiritual care staff visits each patient within the first 48 hours of your initial admission for stomach cancer treatment. The purpose of this visit is to develop a healthy relationship and rapport with you (and your family, as appropriate). Essential to knowing you, this visit helps us to understand your unique spiritual needs, issues and preferences. All assessments will be person-centered, respecting your religion, culture and age. Ongoing assessment of your needs is driven by your and/or family members’ willingness to talk and share.

New patients (first time admissions) also have the option of attending voluntary group orientation session about spiritual care at CTCA. Handouts that describe the services available are offered.

Spiritual care at CTCA is divided into three main categories:

1. Contact: This consists of initial assessment, physician referral, nursing/other referral, sacramental service, pre-surgical counseling, post-surgical counseling, crisis intervention, family visits and consultation, group interaction, and determining your religious preference.
2. Spiritual issues: This deals with a wide range of topics, including your body image, coping system, thought process, socialization, comfort level, ability to sleep, sense of well-being, support system, and spiritual patterns.
3. Spiritual care intervention: This encourages and values personal exploration of spiritual issues, symbolic language, socialization issues, suffering issues, healing issues, death/dying, grief/loss, God/church, guilt/forgiveness, life values, and prayer support.

Because we serve a significant population of patients from out of town, please note that the CTCA chaplain becomes the primary spiritual care provider during inpatient treatment for stomach cancer. A relationship based on trust and rapport is crucial to the success of the treatment plan.

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