Refreshment For the Soul Gives Caregivers Some “ME TIME”

Care givers at my work place, enjoyed a time of stillness on August 7 & 8 at the “Refreshment for the Soul,” event, a time of reflection, refreshment and debridement provided for by the office of the chaplain( The author) to give nurses, physicians, technicians and other health-care personnel some respite during hectic shift. The aim of Refreshment for the soul is to provide these caregivers time to decompress and relieve stress that may build up when caring for seriously ill patients.

Health care providers need these opportunities to better care for themselves.  It is noticeable that nurses, doctors technicians house keepers, monitor techs, among others, spend so much time directly working with increasingly sick patients, as well as their families, they may feel sad, helpless and out of control.  The office of the Chaplain brought the Refreshment for the Soul to the unit to advocate and recognize the good work by the staff and of course to provided time to debrief and relax.

The refreshment for the soul in this case is a stress-reducing technique that helps the staff in their daily work routines. Self-Care relaxation skills and developing social skills helps the staff care for themselves and that is where Refreshment for the Soul comes in.

In the nurses lounge room a tray of assorted cookies, fruits, candies and fresh fruit plates were ready for clinical staff. Relaxing music played softly in the background a relaxing signature.

As staff members began to arrive on their “ME TIME”, the chaplain welcomed them.

Nurses shared their stories, not just with the chaplains, but with each other. Some just relaxed.

The Refreshment for the Soul is a tradition in the making the current Spiritual Care office wants to bring to the hospitals Units to care for the hard working staff. The chaplain will put on Refreshment for the Soul once a quarter in each of hospital units, which means all are all invited to relax and know that we recognize the each team member play. The next session will take place on a date be announced after consultations.

Refreshment for the Soul has no better advocates than the staff themselves.