A patient with advanced pancreatic cancer has left curative treatment and entered hospice care at home. The family tells the visiting nurse that they want someone to help them pray, reconcile with their faith, and find meaning in what is happening. Which hospice team member should visit to address this spiritual need?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Because the request is about prayer and meaning, you'd call the hospice chaplain, whose training centers on spiritual distress. The rest of the team fills real needs too, but each one answers a different kind of concern. The team works like a toolbox, and this job needs the spiritual-care tool.
Full Explanation
The hospice chaplain is the best fit because the family is asking for direct spiritual care: help with prayer, reconciliation with faith, and meaning in the context of end-of-life care. Chaplains are prepared to support people across religious and spiritual traditions and can adapt their approach to the family's beliefs and wishes. A social worker can provide valuable counseling around coping, relationships, and meaning, but that psychosocial role does not by itself meet this family's request for faith-oriented spiritual care. A nurse may sensitively assess spiritual concerns and connect the family with resources, yet assessment and referral are not the same as providing the requested spiritual support. A trained volunteer can offer presence, listening, and life review, which may ease isolation and help with meaning-making, but companionship is not a substitute for chaplain-led spiritual care when the family seeks prayer and reconciliation with faith. Exam caveat: hospice team roles can overlap, and staff may support a patient's or family's spiritual preferences within their training; the key is matching the primary request to the team member with the relevant expertise. Practical check: ask what traditions or practices the family wants honored, whether they would welcome the hospice chaplain, and whether they also want their own faith leader involved.