Hospital visitation is fairly simple. We have all heard horror stories of inept visitors that tell about a friend who died from the patient’s malady. We are all afraid of saying the wrong thing but common sense and love will help you avoid pitfalls.

May We Have a Prayer?

Simply imagine that the situation were reversed. If you or a loved one were in the hospital and someone loved you enough to visit, would you critique their visitation skills or would you be grateful they cared for you and your family?

A successful visit is a visit you make, is it not a visit you intended to make, nor a visit you do perfectly. If you go, you will be successful, but there are five words that make any visit even more successful.

May we have a prayer? Those five words will insure that your visit is successful. As an elder you are there to care for their spiritual needs. The medical staff and physicians are there for the physical needs. Family members and loved ones are usually there for the emotional needs.

Always ask before you lead a prayer. Very rarely a person will decline. If they do, respect that decision and pray for them privately later. Usually the people you are with are wanting, even craving, prayers. By asking them, you are respecting the family, giving them a chance to mention specific prayer requests and preparing them for the prayer.

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This article is from Shepherding: Ten Ways to Be a More Effective Elder