McQuoin Park

McQuoin Park, Catholic Healthcare's residential aged care community in Waitara, NSW has been awarded a Better Practice in Aged Care Award for its volunteer training program in spiritual ministry.

The program is coordinated by the community's Spiritual Care Coordinators, Sister Marlene Fitzgibbons and Fiona Hancock.

Introduced in response to a need for more spiritual care for residents than the existing staff could provide, the program now has 14 volunteers.

Volunteers taking part in the program have the opportunity to participate in two areas of spiritual ministry - bringing communion to residents and helping to set up the chapel for Mass and other religious services or meeting with individual residents for regular one-on-one conversations and discussions.

While many of the volunteers are already very experienced in parish ministry or have training in counselling and qualifications in theology, before commencing their work they participate in a comprehensive training program.

Run by Peter Heath, Spiritual Care Coordinator for Mercy Community Care, another Catholic Healthcare service, the course addresses various aspects of spiritual care particularly related to older people such as ageing, dying, grief and loss, dementia and health crises.

The volunteers also reflect on issues and events that have had an impact in their own lives, participate in role plays and hear from a range of experts in relevant fields.

A key aspect of the program involves meeting regularly with the residents and their families to ensure that their individual needs are being identified and monitored. The Spiritual Care Coordinators play a crucial role in debriefing volunteers.

"Everyone has a need to be known and to tell their life story," says Fiona Hancock.

"But particularly as we get older and physical attributes lessen, people have more time for reflection. So it is important to provide opportunities for people to talk and express their feelings about changes that are happening to them or other events that have occurred in their lives. The residents value having the freedom to talk confidentially, and knowing that their story is being valued helps release emotions."

Having spiritual care volunteers available for residents, also assists care staff in the community's nursing centre and hostel.

"Care staff have so much to do with physically caring for the residents that they often don't have time to have long chats, so it's great if someone else can help with that role," said Fiona Hancock.

Resident Yvonne Treuen, who meets with volunteer Kitty Marren each week, says having a volunteer to visit her one-on-one is wonderful.

"Kitty is a deeply spiritual person, and we are on the same wavelength. We talk about ordinary things and anything that has a spiritual overtone or undertone, whether it is to do with family or anything else. She's a godsend - I'd give Kitty five stars!"

Kitty Marren says she discovers a lot about herself in her discussions with Yvonne and other residents.

"Issues come up that I often go home and think about. There is tremendous wisdom in the people I meet with at McQuoin Park. I have learnt a great deal from Yvonne and carry around lots of little notelets of wise things she has said to me.

"It's a great joy to be here. It's wonderful getting to know the residents and their families and is great to have the support of Marlene and Fiona."

Jenny Venman, Director of Care at McQuoin Park, congratulated Sister Marlene and Fiona Hancock for their dedication and commitment to the spiritual care program.

She added that the program not only benefits the residents but all who work and visit McQuoin Park.

For more information, contact Therese Spruhan, Communications Manager, Catholic Healthcare on (02) 8876 2230.