"There are a lot of frustrations in the health care system," said Amy Tolhurst, Quebec's only parish nurse. Officially she is the parish nurse for the two Presbyterian congregations in Howick, a friendly little village, and Howick United. Unofficially, Tolhurst ministers to anyone who asks. "People tell me what their problems are and we work through it with them. For example, there is a lot of walking people through preparations for surgery. The confidence that they feel, I think that's the difference." Tolhurst is one of a small but growing group of nurses across the country that are helping to heal mind, body and spirit.
Parish nursing is a relatively new ministry. The concept of addressing not only a person's physical concerns but her spiritual ones as well, began in Europe and was introduced to North America by Dr. Granger Westberg, a Lutheran clergyman, in the early 1980s. After years serving his community as a hospital chaplain, professor of practical theology and parish pastor, Westberg decided to develop a partnership between congregations and the local health care network. In 1984, he formed a partnership between the Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, and six area congregations and parish nursing was born.
In Canada, parish nursing began as early as 1992 but it would be six years before any sort of support organization was formed. In 1998, the Canadian Parish Nurse Ministry Forum represented approximately 40 people across the country, including parish nurses, educators, clergy and other interested parties. Today, there are close to 100 members of Canadian Association of Parish Nursing Ministry.
"It was like a light bulb went on," said Beth MacKay Reilly of the first time she heard about the ministry. "Combining Christian education and nursing? I can do this!" Already very involved in the programming and work of Hamilton, Ontario's Central Presbyterian, MacKay Reilly got her congregation to approve a one-year parish nursing pilot project in 1999. By 2000, she'd completed a course at McMaster University and she's been focusing on health education at Central ever since.
"I see a person as a holistic entity. When something is affected, it affects everything else. And parish nursing is reclaiming health ministry in the church. We're really treating the whole person, not just the 'appendix in room 10'," said MacKay Reilly. "In this day and age, if a person can feel at their church that they are being taken care of as a whole person, well then, that's something."
Parish nursing is developing a following and many congregations are reaching deep into their pockets in order to fund the program at their church. Rev. Terry Hastings at Knox Presbyterian in Stratford, Ont., is hopeful they will soon have a parish nurse in place. "We have over 65 shut-ins at Knox. We could easily have a parish nurse who did nothing but visit our shut-ins and provide pastoral care," he explained. Knox remains in the "discussion and exploration stage" of parish nursing but the idea is gaining ground. "We don't want to repeat something that someone else is doing. We want to fill the gaps of what is not being met," said Hastings. "This is part of our calling. We've been pretty lax, as congregations, to let government do a lot of these things. Now we're reclaiming that role."
Diane Tait-Katerberg, associate minister at St. John's in White Rock, B.C., agrees with Hastings. "If I, as a pastor, go and visit someone, they probably won't discuss medical things with me," she said. "But, if somebody comes in as a nurse, they have a certain authority to ask questions and to follow through. We think people would raise issues that they wouldn't raise with their elders or pastor." St. John's hasn't officially brought the idea to the congregation, though it's been talked about in newsletters and people are actively working to get funding in place. "We're getting our ducks in order," said Tait-Katerberg.
The role of a parish nurse is as individual as the congregation. For example, Tolhurst only works 12 hours a month but her phone line is always open. Some parish nurses work solely on education — informing congregants on health care concerns such as Alzheimer's and strokes or providing updates on local screenings for breast, prostate or colon cancer. Morag Broad, parish nurse at Dayspring Church in Edmonton, Alta. (the only Presbyterian church in the city with a parish nurse), is paid for 20 hours a week but actually works full-time, collaborating with Rev. John Dowd to develop more ways to serve the community.
With a quarter of Dayspring's congregation in continuing care facilities or limited in getting to church, it became clear that these isolated people needed something more. So Broad and Dowd started a care companion program, matching active members of the congregation with shut-ins for regular visits and to develop a friendship. "People will share the strangest things at the strangest moments if you give them the opportunity," said Broad. "The sharing of stories and fears and dreams and those life transitions that we all go through is so important." With the care companion program, Broad and Dowd share the load of pastoral care in a much bigger ministry. "I feel very confident that in the next five or 10 years, parish nursing will be recognized as very important ministry. It takes that leap of faith and trying to find the funding to get it started."
Sandra Osborne is an average Presbyterian — private, respectful of other peoples' boundaries and a little staid. However, as a parish nurse for St. Aidan's in New Westminster, B.C., Osbourne has had to get over her shyness in broaching religion as an acceptable topic of conversation. "I've always said that God's got a sense of humour. Every time I think, 'Oh gee, I don't think I want to do this', I'm surprised."
One of her first hospital visits as a parish nurse was to see a devout Christian woman. "I knew I needed to ask her if I could read with her or pray with her," remembered Osbourne. "She wanted me to sing a hymn. In a four-bed ward." Swallowing her discomfort, Osbourne started to sing and God's sense of humour was evident — the three other patients in the ward joined in. "She was a minister's wife and she showed me how to put my faith out publicly," said Osbourne. "I found it very rewarding. It has allowed me to grow in my faith."
