Introduction

The hospice nurse carries a pocketful of medical tools; the chaplain, a pocketful of the Word of God. This is how hospice nurse Cindi Lawson describes nurse-chaplain collaboration in hospice care. We will learn more from Cindi and Sister Kelly as they share insights into their ministry during this edition of FLOWcast, a podcast “For the Life of the World” from the Dominican Sisters of Springfield. After their conversation, I talk with Springfield Dominican Associate Marianne Chevalier about her experience with hospice in the final weeks of her husband Dan’s life. Dan died at home in December 2023. 

 

About our guests

Cindi Lawson is a nurse with Residential Hospice. She has been a hospice nurse for seventeen years. 

Sister Kelly Moline, OP, came to the Dominican Sisters of Springfield in 2013 with a master's degree in gerontology and several years of experience in senior care settings. After completing a Master of Arts in pastoral studies, she began chaplaincy work at St. Dominic Hospital, Jackson, Miss., and since 2023 has been a hospice chaplain in central Illinois. 

Mary Anne Chevalier, a Springfield Dominican Associate since 1993, received support from hospice ministers during the final weeks of her husband Dan’s life. She lives in Springfield, Ill., and finds comfort in her recent passion for wood-turning, a craft Dan practiced. 

 

Our host

Sister Beth Murphy, OP, is the communications director for the Dominican Sisters of Springfield and F.L.O.W.cast producer. 

 

Takeaways

• Hospice brings body, mind, and spirit together for the task of the final journey of life on Earth. 
• Hospice chaplains care for the patient and their caregivers and loved ones.
• The interdisciplinary approach to hospice care isn the language of compassion, expressed in different ways. 
• Hospice care is a consolation for grieving survivors. 

 

More to Explore 

Understanding end-of-life-care from a Catholic perspective. 

Palliative care or hospice: what’s the difference? 

National Hospice Locator 

Residential Hospice