What To Do At Time of Death?

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Laura_B

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Hi:
I need some advice (and as always) I need prayers:

I just started working as a nursing assistant to a hospice service. I visit a nursing home (I will probably be doing home care also) to provide bathing, feeding and other assistance to patients who are designated for hospice (ie, they are in the end stages of their illnesses, which of course, could happen any time – today or even a year or more from now).

The advice I need is this: On those occasions in which the patient has passed (either while I am present or I happen to be the one who discovers the remains), what should I do (I am a cradle Catholic) ----

if I know they are Catholic

If I know they are Christian (but don’t know the denomination)

If I know they are of another faith

If I only know they “believe in God” (this appears on their care plan at times)

If I don’t know anything at all about their faith life?

Note: In my city, they are most likely to be Catholic, Christian or of undetermined faith). I guess my current thought is to privately say “Eternal rest grant to them O Lord…” and perhaps the 23rd psalm. Is this correct for all these circumstances?

Of course, if the family is present, I would of course defer to them or at most say, “would you like a prayer said?”

Thanks in advance for the advice and the prayers (oh yes, as to prayers, please pray that I do this job well and that it be a job I can keep and work around my family schedule for a long, long time. I’ve been on a job odyssey for at least two years now and I hope that this is where God wants me to be for a long time.)
Thanks again.
God bless you and yours.
 
If you know someone is a practising Catholic and you are aware that death is approaching call for a Priest for the Last Rites. If they cannot speak and are unconcious consult any family members. If there are no family members just call for the Priest.

If someone is a lasped Catholic ask them, if they are able to communicate, if they would like a Priest to come. If they would send for the Priest for the Last Rites. If they would not like the Priest to come, pray for them silently and ask for the grace that they will accept the Last Rites. If someone is a lasped Catholic and they are not able to communicate, consult any family members first and if they are in agreement send for the Priest for the last Rites. If there are no family members send for the Priest for the Last Rites.

If you know someone is Christian ask if they would like their Pastor or Vicar to attend and pray with them. If not ask them if they would like you to pray with them or for them and stay with them. If they would not like you to pray with them, then stay with them and silently pray for them. If they do not know who their Vicar is, but would like a Pastor to attend inform them you know a Catholic Priest and if they are in agreement send for the Catholic Priest.

If any Christian is able to speak ask them to repeat this over and over ‘Mary help, Jesus mercy’. or ‘Jesus mercy’, otherwise, you repeat this prayer for them.

If you do not know the religious denomination or if someone is an unbeliever, then remain with them at the hour of their death and silently pray for them.

If you find someone dead, say a prayer for them before you inform the family etc.

You must always respect the religious beliefs of those in your care and tell them to pray in their way and you will pray with them in your way.

You have a wonderful unique Apostolate here and God has given you a great opportunity for acting in mercy for your brothers and sisters who are suffering in the last stages of their passion. Your prayers will be very powerful for them and bring them great peace and comfort.

Other than all of this constantly offer your Eucharist for the people you deal with on a daily basis, pray constantly for them especially at Holy Mass place them all in the Chalice at Consecration and many graces will come by this. Ask Jesus to place in you the ability to discern people and a great sensitivity to people and their needs, then pray for this gift from the Holy Spirit.

May God Bless you with many graces and strength to carry this out and please do not let the loss of people you care for cause you great grief, you must remain to some extent detached or it will cause you alot of grief and drive you mad. So remain detached but kind and merciful by way of prayer and in your words and actions.

In my prayers
 
Laura_B said:
Hi:
I need some advice (and as always) I need prayers:
.
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If nothing else, reciting The Divine Mercy Chaplet would help,

Jesus said later to Sister Faustina:

“Say unceasingly this chaplet that I have taught you. Anyone who
says it will receive great Mercy at the hour of death. Priests
will recommend it to sinners as the last hope. Even the most
hardened sinner, if he recites this Chaplet even once, will
receive grace from My Infinite Mercy. I want the whole world to
know My Infinite Mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to
those who trust in My Mercy…”

“…When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I
will stand between My Father and the dying person not as the just
judge but as the Merciful Savior”.

From the website of EWTN
 
I usually pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, inserting the person’s name. I have prayed for 6 people in the last 11 months as they were dying. I believe that I was put there, at that time, for that reason.
 
I second, third, fourth and fifth the recommendation to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet. In fact, pray it every day for the dying. And if you pray the Rosary every day (which everybody should, and which I wish I was better at managing), make two of your intentions a prayer for the dying and a prayer for the Souls in Purgatory.
 
I have already given instructions … that when I get too feeble to do anything else … when I can’t talk anymore or read anymore … please put a set of Rosary beads in my hands because I will still be able to pray.

And for others, I just ask Jesus, God, Son of God, the Judge to be merciful … to bring those people to Him…
 
Yes pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, but if it is not a devotion you practise do not feel you are forced to pray it, each has their own spirituality with the Lord and though it is good to promote devotions, it is not good to enforce them, we must be respectful of people’s spiritualities and how the Lord has called them to pray.

If you don’t have a devotion to the Divine Mercy Chaplet, (which directs us to Jesus’ Mercy) then simply implore Jesus’ Mercy which the short prayer I gave you implores this… ‘Jesus mercy’ or ‘Jesus mercy, Mary help’

The Divine Mercy Chaplet doesn’t take precedence over the Last Rites. The Last Rites are a Sacrament of the Church and must be the first port of call for the Catholic dying.
 
blessedstar said:
The Divine Mercy Chaplet doesn’t take precedence over the Last Rites. The Last Rites are a Sacrament of the Church and must be the first port of call for the Catholic dying.
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Nobody is “enforcing” the Divine Mercy chaplet, and nobody said Last Rites shouldn’t be administered. I think the OP’s original question was what could she do for the dying. Not being a priest, she cannot administer Last Rites. However, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing she can do. The Divine Mercy is very powerful for the dying.

One thing it might be good to recall is that anybody can baptize. I’m not saying one should just go around baptizing people indiscriminately, but if there is somebody you know has never been baptized who is on the point of death, and it’s not going to be done otherwise, it’s something to keep in mind. Since this is such a serious matter, and there is a chance it will come up in your work, find a good priest and question him about this.
 
Victorious said:
Nobody is “enforcing” the Divine Mercy chaplet, and nobody said Last Rites shouldn’t be administered. I think the OP’s original question was what could she do for the dying. Not being a priest, she cannot administer Last Rites. However, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing she can do. The Divine Mercy is very powerful for the dying.

QUOTE]

I didn’t say anyone was enforcing anything, but because other Catholics suggest a devotion people can feel that they have to pray it (in this way feel forced) and I was simply making it clear that they do not have to pray it.

All prayer to God is powerful.

The OP can pray any prayer by themselves or with the dying, send for the Priest to give Last Rites and as you say ask if the person desires Baptism, in which case send for a Priest if there is time and if not Baptise them herself. People should not Baptise adults without their consent.
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Victorious said:
I second, third, fourth and fifth the recommendation to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet. In fact, pray it every day for the dying. And if you pray the Rosary every day (which everybody should, and which I wish I was better at managing), make two of your intentions a prayer for the dying and a prayer for the Souls in Purgatory.
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22 October: In todays RCIA class this topic came up, and I decided that, yes, my daily Divine Mercy Chaplet should indeed be for the dying. Because the previous day, at the noon AA meeting, a woman requested prayers for her Father., confined to a Nursing home due to “wet-brain” (alcohol-induced dementia)
 
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