Slides: Care Facility Visits

Care Facilities Visits

Henry Reyenga

Scripture

James 5:13    Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

What Happens in Care Facilities?

People are alone to think  - about God, others

People are getting better or they are facing their mortality

People are looking for God’s help and in need of prayer and anointing with oil (Anointing Prayer Ceremony)

People may need a spiritual warfare prayer

People share a confession of faith

People make a confession to unburden their souls to ask God for forgiveness or to forgive someone else

People may desire to be baptized

People may seek to receive the Lord’s Supper

Credentials for Visits and Ceremonies

Get your Ordination ID

Have your Letter of Good Standing in your glove compartment or another place so, if asked, you can produce it. 

Bring business cards that you can leave with the person or family you are visiting.

Appearance

Positive appearance, without cologne or perfume.

Make sure you have fresh breath.

Dress as a minister (Minister Uniform)

Official Act of Ministry

Communicates confidence to the staff 

Clergy designation helpful

Ministry Preparation

Prayer for having a listening and positive presence.

Practice potentially difficult visits like you would practice a speech (role play). 

Ask your family to critique the role play visit: 

Did you come off as caring and positive?

Did you smile in a relaxed way?

Did you listen?

Did you do the visit with confidence? 

Did you read scripture and pray?

Permission of Visit

Depending on your relationship with the family, get permission to visit.

Advisable to call the care facility so they are expecting you.

Ask yourself if you are in a quality relationship of blessing with the person you want to visit? However, do not overplay this. 

Arriving at the Care Facility

Park in the clergy parking spot, if available.

Go to the visitor's desk and get out your Clergy ID card to show it.

Go to the restroom to wash your hands.

Before you enter into the room, seek the nurse's station or reception station to report in.

Do not ask for medical details (check laws).

Care Facility Visit Etiquette 

Short visits as a rule of thumb.

Leave the room if procedures need to be performed.

Silence cell phone.

Be sickness free to the best of your knowledge.

Consider wearing a cloth mask in certain situations.

Talk with your volume lower, but meet the hearing needs of your client.

Don’t expect anyone to entertain you or make a conversation with you. Do not ask professional caregivers questions they are not allowed to answer. 

The Visit

Enter the room with a gentle smile.

Give a greeting such as “My (spouse name) and I are praying that you/for you…”

Don’t tell them they look rough or even flatter them on how well they look.

Usually, but not always, they want to talk about their experience at the care facility. 

Usually, but not always, they want to talk about people who visited them or their care providers. Be careful to keep everything positive. 

The Visit Ceremony

Disclose that you are here for them. If they need a minister, and if you are one on one, you can even inform them that this visit is of a confidential nature.

Scripture Reading: 

Ask if there is a scripture passage, they want you to read. 

If they say, no. Comfortably open your Bible (or phone) to the Bible App. 

Read five minutes of scripture seeking to keep relevant passages before them. 

The Visit Ceremony

Prayer and/or confession.

Say, “Can I pray for you? Is there anything you want to share for me to pray about?”

After they share, pray for their blessing including the details of what they asked prayer for.  

Keep prayer simple and short (have the anointing oil ready if they want you to anoint them).

Departing

Leave a Devotional Gift (optional)

Leave your card

Ask them if there is anyone they want you to contact with a message from them.

End with a blessing…Sample:

“I am leaving now. May the Lord bless you and keep you and be with you now and always!”