This episode features Dr Claudia Rossy Parés (Department of Psychology, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain).
What is already known on this topic?
Research has associated forgiveness with physical, emotional and spiritual benefits in people facing the end of life.
Health professionals often feel unprepared to talk about forgiveness with their patients.
The role that the spiritual caregiver plays with respect to forgiveness as a need of the patient is not clear.
What this paper adds
By offering in-depth, qualitative insights from experienced spiritual caregivers, this paper provides data of how spiritual caregivers perceive and address forgiveness as a theme at the end-of-life in the context of severe illness.
The study identifies barriers experienced by spiritual caregivers to talking about forgiveness, and proposes resources to address them.
Implications for practice, theory or policy
Forgiveness in palliative care should be explored and offered as a possible path toward peace within a person-centered and autonomy-respecting framework, acknowledging that not all patients wish or are ready to forgive.
Spiritual caregivers need protected time and supportive conditions for spiritual conversations with patients, ensuring follow-up across care transitions when possible, and clear role boundaries distinguishing them from clergy when engaging in forgiveness conversations.
Future research should include multi-faith perspectives, use diverse designs across different care settings (hospital, hospice, primary care), and integrate patients' and families' experiences to deepen understanding of forgiveness in palliative care.
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