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As part of Inter Faith Week 2023, Jersey Hospice Care hosted members of the island’s faith groups to mark the week and take part in ‘About Me’ – a newly created spiritual care assessment.

More than 25 faith representatives and members of the Hospice team gathered to hear from each other on what’s important to them at the end of life.

Emily Churchill, Spiritual Care Lead at Jersey Hospice Care, said:

“About Me invites patients to express in their own words what matters most to them, what they hope for, what makes them happy or sad and, just as importantly, what brings them comfort and peace. It’s also a chance to detail the practices of their chosen faith or beliefs. By introducing someone to this document early in their relationship with Hospice, they can really think about their life right up until the moment they die and review their answers as their illness progresses.”

Several faith members spoke on behalf of the religion or faith they belonged to, as well as sharing their own personal thoughts on it.

“A particularly poignant part of the event was hearing from each faith representative about their spiritual, religious, or cultural beliefs and needs,” Emily said.

“Each one of them shared what they would want those looking after them towards the end of their life to know, which really helped to give us all more of an insight into each faith.”

It tied in with this year’s national Inter Faith celebrations, which was all about raising awareness and understanding of different faiths, strengthening inter faith relations, and celebrating the contribution faith groups make to our community.

It’s the second time we've marked Inter Faith Week, and the aim was to bring communities together – as well as members of the team at Hospice – to hear and learn more about each faith and what it means to them at the end of life.

“Every single human being could come up with their own definition of spirituality because their spirituality is all about who they truly are and how they choose to show up in the world. That's why Inter Faith Week is so important to us. Hospice is a neutral place, here for everyone, so, regardless of your background, beliefs, and how you choose to present yourself, we want to listen, learn, and understand what makes you really you.”