Can prayer be part of advanced care planning? Yes, prayer fits naturally into advanced care planning as a way to address spiritual needs alongside medical decisions, helping patients and families find peace during serious illness.
Advanced care planning means thinking ahead about health choices when someone faces a serious or terminal condition. It covers treatments, end-of-life wishes, and support for the whole person, including body, emotions, and spirit. Many care models, like palliative and hospice care, include spiritual elements right from the start. For example, palliative care focuses on the whole person physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually, no matter the illness stage, as noted by the Catholic Health Association (https://www.chausa.org/focus-areas/palliative-care).
Prayer often comes up in these talks because it brings comfort and strength. Caregivers might ask about a patient’s faith using tools like the FICA method. This stands for Faith (beliefs that help cope), Importance (role in life), Community (religious group ties), and Address (next steps, like chaplain visits). It helps uncover if prayer matters to the patient, leading to actions such as group prayers or quiet reflection time (https://www.thesocialworkgraduate.com/post/palliative-care-social-work).
In hospitals and hospices, chaplains trained in spiritual care offer prayers, scripture, or talks about life’s meaning. The VA in Minneapolis provides such services to patients and families during hospital stays (https://www.va.gov/minneapolis-health-care/chaplain-services/). Dignity Health in Nevada links spiritual care to advance directives, helping with concerns about medical plans (https://www.dignityhealth.org/las-vegas/patients-and-visitors/spiritual-care). Hospice programs often include spiritual advisors for prayers at life’s end, easing anxiety and building peace (https://www.lacancernetwork.com/how-to-find-the-right-hospice-care-program-for-you-or-your-loved-one-during-advanced-cancer).
Studies show faith and prayer help caregivers and patients cope, especially in places like Ghana where spiritual support stands out in end-of-life care. Prayers for safety, like those from the Catholic Health Association for patients and families, create a sense of shelter in tough times (https://www.chausa.org/prayers/prayer-library/prayer/patient-safety-awareness-week). Ethics in care, from Western to Islamic views, stress beneficence and non-harm, supporting spiritual practices that align with patient goals without false hope (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20502877.2025.2590274?src=).
To include prayer, start early in planning. Talk to doctors about spiritual history, connect with chaplains, and note wishes in advance directives. This makes care personal and complete.
Sources
https://www.chausa.org/prayers/prayer-library/prayer/patient-safety-awareness-week
https://www.chausa.org/focus-areas/palliative-care
https://www.thesocialworkgraduate.com/post/palliative-care-social-work
https://www.lacancernetwork.com/how-to-find-the-right-hospice-care-program-for-you-or-your-loved-one-during-advanced-cancer
https://www.va.gov/minneapolis-health-care/chaplain-services/
https://www.dignityhealth.org/las-vegas/patients-and-visitors/spiritual-care
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20502877.2025.2590274?src=
