Kenneth
Dale
on
a
unique
pastoral
care
program
No
Shortage
of
Chaplains
Here!
Pilgrim
Place,
a
retirement
community
in
Claremont,
California,
has
no
shortage
of
chaplains.
What
is
our
secret
for
having
no
shortage
of
chaplains
here?
The
secret
lies
in
our
pool
of
over
100
clergy
from
which
to
draw!
Our
retirement
community
is
unique
in
that
residents
must
have
spent
at
least
20
years
in
active
professional
work
in
the
church
is
order
to
be
eligible
for
admission.
We
are
a
three-level
community
with
independent,
assisted
and
full
nursing
care
facilities
all
on
the
same
campus.
Chaplains
serve
the
full
nursing
care
facility
which
we
call
the
Health
Services
Center.
This
Center
has
60
beds,
half
of
which
are
reserved
for
Pilgrims
(the
name
we
give
ourselves
as
residents
here)
and
half
of
which
are
open
for
the
wider
community
of
Claremont.
In
our
pastoral
care
for
the
residents,
no
distinction
is
made
between
Pilgrims
and
patients
from
outside
Pilgrim
Place.
Since
we
have
so
many
Pilgrims
who
have
had
long
experience
in
calling
on
and
caring
for
the
elderly
through
their
pastoral
work,
it
is
not
hard
to
find
persons
to
serve
as
chaplains
in
the
Health
Services
Center.
Aren’t
we
blessed!
We
have
a
fairly
well
structured
system
for
utilizing
this
clergy-power
in
a
way
that
gives
the
best
service
to
the
residents
of
the
Health
Services
Center
and
is
least
burdensome
to
the
chaplains.
A
Coordinator
of
Chaplaincy
Services – a
volunteer,
as
all
the
other
chaplains
are – recruits
12
different
chaplains
each
year,
both
men
and
women,
not
necessarily
ordained.
These
12
serve
in
teams
of
two,
each
team
serving
for
a
two-month
period.
This
system
allows
scheduling
flexibility
within
the
team,
which
is
necessary
inasmuch
as
Pilgrims
volunteer
in
many
community
activities
and
travel
a
great
deal,
so
they
don’t
like
to
be
confined
to
a
daily
schedule
for
a
long
period
of
time.
The
turnover
in
chaplains,
although
it
has
the
disadvantage
of
lacking
continuity
in
relationships,
seems
to
be
generally
appreciated
by
the
Center
residents
also.
They
get
to
know
a
diversity
of
men
and
women
from
the
Pilgrim
Place
campus,
and
experience
various
types
of
pastoral
care.
As
for
services
provided
by
the
chaplains,
when
on
duty
we
spend
at
least
two
hours
each
day,
seven
days
a
week,
in
the
Health
Services
Center.
There
is
no
paper
work
or
administrative
responsibility,
so
our
entire
time
is
focused
on
personal
care.
Although
some
residents
are
unable
to
carry
on
meaningful
conversation,
many
are
able
to
converse
and
respond
gratefully
to
the
time
and
attention
the
chaplains
can
pay
them.
The
focus
is
always
on
the
resident’s
needs,
not
on
formal
procedures.
We
read
Scripture
and
pray
when
the
resident
appears
to
desire
that,
not
as
a
routine.
In
addition
to
calling
on
residents,
chaplains
plan
Sunday
worship
services.
Here
again
we
are
blessed
with
an
ample
pool
of
ministers
on
whom
we
can
call
for
leadership
and
preaching.
The
worship
services
are
limited
to
30
minutes,
and
always
include
special
music.
We
are
also
blessed
with
many
musicians
within
the
Pilgrim
community.
When
death
draws
near
for
a
patient,
the
chaplains
are
on
call
24
hours
a
day
and
accompany
the
patient
on
his/her
journey
to
the “next
level.”If
the
patient
lingers
for
a
long
time,
we
have
a
list
of
Pilgrims
who
volunteer
to
sit
by
dying
patients
during
their
last
hours.
When
a
Pilgrim
dies,
the
chaplain
on
duty
informs
all
the
other
Pilgrims
in
the
Health
Services
Center
of
that
death.
We
are
proud
of
the
high
quality
of
care
at
our
Health
Services
Center
and
believe
that
the
chaplaincy
program
is
one
significant
factor
in
that
quality
care.
.gif){kind=spacer}
.gif){kind=spacer}
8/3/2005
Vol. 2, No. 13
