Chaplaincy support during crisis
For some, the pandemic seems like a distant memory; for others they are still feeling the daily effects whether that’s changes in habits, dealing with grief or perhaps long Covid; or somewhere in the middle. Whether it’s something that feels like another lifetime or it’s still very close to home; the Covid-19 pandemic impacted us all in different ways and care homes were no different.
As the recent Covid inquiry continues, here's some reflections on chaplaincy and spirituality in our care homes at the time.
People working in care homes were exempt from the mandate to stay at home and it soon emerged that care homes were places of significant illness and mortality during the pandemic. As a result, the work and experience of chaplaincy in care homes changed over time.
We realised it was important to record the experiences of chaplaincy during the pandemic; whilst it was happening as these events could well be viewed differently afterwards. Research was conducted starting in May 2020; where six chaplains were interviewed over Zoom, four different times at three-month intervals. These interviews allowed for a lot of information to be gathered. These findings have been published in an article titled “Exploring the Changing Experiences of Chaplains Employed in Care and Residential Homes During the COVID‑19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study” (Siesage et al, 2023).
There were a lot of findings from exploring the changing experiences of chaplains in care homes during the pandemic, which you can find in detail by reading the article, which is linked at the bottom of this page.
The key findings from speaking with chaplains over a year, during this global pandemic fit under three key themes. The first is ‘adapting work practices’; this theme shows how their role as chaplains shifted and the impact of this on conducting funeral services. The second theme that emerged was ‘mental health and wellbeing’ which highlights the impact of the pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of chaplains working in homes, and the strategies they embraced to cope. And the third theme was ‘giving and receiving support’ which emphasises the emotional and physical support chaplains offered and received during the pandemic; as well as the need for support.
Overall, chaplaincy during the pandemic in care homes was a role that adapted and changed with the phases of the pandemic and in some circumstances the quality of relationships with residents, relatives and colleagues increased.
Read the published article here
