Page 41 - Joondalup Health Campus Annual Report 2017

Being called on at any time of the day or night to help a stranger make it through some of the darkest hours they may ever face, may not be everyone’s idea of a dream job.
But JHC Chaplain Elizabeth O’Neill and her Pastoral Care team take on tasks like these every day of the week and say it’s an honour to do so.
“It really is a privilege to share in the life
of another human being. To celebrate their joys and support them through life’s more painful experiences. Working in bereavement and grief counselling is very moving,” Elizabeth said.
Committing to years of study in the field and having wonderful parents has helped Elizabeth walk the fine line between providing support to patients without taking on their pain, allowing her to empathise without being intrusive.
She said her own moments of suffering have led to immense personal growth and change and she can often see that other people too will benefit from their own experiences.
The types of situations Elizabeth and her staff lend support to on a daily basis vary widely but in all cases they work with people regardless of religious beliefs and the goal
is to advocate a safe emotional transition through difficult times.
Often there is a need to help other hospital staff cope with trying and stressful situations as well.
“We recently had a mum whose baby drowned in the bath. Sometimes we get people facing health issues and they don’t understand why it has happened to them,” she said.
“We may get an individual who has lived independently in their own home and they have now been told they have to go into nursing care and that can be really difficult, especially if there is a lot of history associated with that house.”
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