BARRIE, ONT. Marjorie Marshall and her husband Peter were married for nearly 40 years. When Peter battled illness and Alzheimers at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, his wife was by his side until COVID-19 hit. As of March 17, I couldn t see him, she says. But they had activity coordinators that did virtual visits. Catherine, the spiritual advisor, she had a great rapport with Peter. Marjorie says in the last year of her husband s life, with visitor restrictions at the Barrie hospital, the Spiritual Care Team made all the difference. They come from a very positive place, and we actually got to be very good friends. She (Catherine) actually officiated Peter s funeral, she says.
East Lancashire hospitals have received a donation of portable Quran Cubes for patients. The MP3 players in the shape of a cube play recitations and prayers from the Quran and were donated to the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust’s Chaplaincy Department These, alongside MP3 players pre-loaded with Islamic prayers and Quran recitations, have been used by the Spiritual Care Team to support patients at the Trust’s five hospitals – Royal Blackburn and Burnley General Teaching Hospitals, and Accrington Victoria, Clitheroe and Pendle Community Hospitals. Imam Fazal Hassan, Muslim Chaplaincy Co-ordinator, said: “We were delighted to receive these donations, which go a long way to provide the emotional support and spiritual healing for our Muslim inpatients.