About Community Nursing
Faith Community Nursing, commonly known as parish nursing, is a unique and growing movement within communities of faith of all traditions. For centuries, churches have been involved in the delivery of healthcare; however, recent history has identified a movement toward separation of faith as the work of the church and healing as the work of healthcare institutions. The concept of parish nursing is a way to reverse that trend and allow churches to rediscover their mission to "preach, teach, and heal."
Churches are the focus of communities and neighborhoods and touch the lives of large numbers of people. What better place to influence people to become more effective partners in the management of their personal health or to offer support and counsel to the concerns of the aging congregation? Nursing has always understood the relationship between body, mind, and spirit in whole person health. Who better to work with congregations and communities to establish a health ministry than the parish nurse?
"Faith community nursing is the specialized practice of professional nursing that focuses on the intentional care of the spirit as part of the process of promoting holistic health and preventing or minimizing illness in a faith community" (Faith Community Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, Health Ministries Association, American Nurses Association, June, 2005, page 1). Comprehensive health/wellness requires the integration of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of an individual — the weaving together of each thread into the tapestry of the whole being. A parish nurse is a registered professional nurse who, as a member of the ministerial team, provides preventive and restorative care with a focus on health promotion and spiritual care within the values and beliefs of a faith community.
Parish nurses function in a variety of roles with a focus on spiritual health and use the
nursing interventions of counseling, education, resource utilization, and advocacy. As health counselors, they provide expertise and a listening ear, serving as "translator" between the faith and healthcare communities. With knowledge in both areas, the parish nurse can clarify issues and reinforce the strong tie between faith and health. In the role of health educator, parish nurses provide educational programs and health screening opportunities for the congregation. They function as advocate and referral agents, helping individuals navigate the healthcare system and finding community resources and support services to improve quality of life.
Working with volunteers to extend this caring ministry and developing support groups are also roles of the parish nurse. When a parish nurse visits an individual in the hospital, home, or nursing home, it is as a representative of the congregation that cares for that person. Equipped with assessment skills and nursing knowledge, the nurse collaborates with other healthcare providers for the benefit of the individual and community well-being.
Although every parish nurse practice is different based on the needs of the individual congregation, the ministry is particularly suited to address the needs of the elder individual. Many issues come to the forefront as we age including health concerns, losses, and changes in life status. A parish nurse can help individuals deal with those issues, find resources, discover options, answer questions, or give the gift of simple "presence" to one who is alone. A health ministry directed by a parish nurse can go a long way in providing a caring, healing environment within the congregation.
From healthy cooking, exercise groups, and medication information to living wills, blood pressure screenings, and help with insurance forms, parish nurses can provide a wide range of programs for the older adult. However, perhaps the most important thing that a parish nurse brings to the congregation is that "intentional care of the spirit" with which all care is provided. Parish nurses bring a caring "presence" to each encounter; and whatever the issue, they hold the soul of another gently in their hands.
About Community Nursing
Roles Of a Parish Nurse
Services of Parish Nursing
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