Satwant, Spiritual Care Volunteer

There comes a time when people really need this service and I think this service is very important in person-centred care.

When my husband was seriously ill, I don’t have any family in Leeds and my two children are far away, so when I was told he had only limited days I needed somebody to talk to. I did ask for chaplaincy support and I didn’t get any. So that really brought me into that area.

It is something my husband has led me to, and though he’s not here, when I’m doing this work I feel he’s walking alongside with me.

Since I’ve come here there’s been people who feel very restful talking to me because I can speak their language; I speak three Asian languages, which means I can cover the community all around Leeds. And I don’t have any particular focus on any minority faith or any religion, so people find it quite easy to talk to me.

Everyone is a human being, it doesn’t matter what colour, what creed, what religion, what background; the feelings are exactly the same. We share a lot together.

I think the main work of spiritual care volunteers is to be with people and to help them, whatever they are asking of us. We don’t intrude; we just enter their space with their own invitation. Then we start walking with them and being in their pain, their emotional difficulties. Sometimes they have got things that they have never told anyone, and we are there to listen to them.

St Gemma’s Hospice is proud to care for people of all faiths and cultures. Find out more about spiritual care by visiting www.st-gemma.co.uk/spiritual-care