Walking Alongside

About the Book

This is a book about the practice of a healing ministry in a faith community. The concept of parish nursing is a burgeoning field in nursing practice today and this book offers practical guidelines, tips, and wonderful stories of parish nursing ministry.

This book is intended for faith communities, nurses, nursing instructors, faith community leaders, physicians in family practice, and anyone interested in the field of parish nursing. There is useful information for everyone.

Barbara's role evolved from her ongoing recognition of changing health care needs. At the same time as the Reverend Granger Westberg began a similar movement in the United States, and before his work was known in Canada, Barbara envisioned how a nurse could promote health and healing in the congregation and the community. As a respected member of a committed, caring ministry team, she developed a practice that included education, advocacy, empowerment, emotional and spiritual support, and connection with community services.

Emerging out of her 15 years of experience, this book promotes excellent, practical, "how to" aspects of parish nursing. It is a uniquely Canadian, uniquely nursing, experiential perspective on parish nursing, and a must for anyone interested in this field.

About the Author

Barbara Caiger RN has had a variety of experiences in nursing, and as a community volunteer. She has always had a keen interest in educating others, beginning when she taught swimming lessons as a teen. When she was at home caring for her children, she developed a comprehensive program and taught babysitting courses in British Columbia and Ontario. Barbara volunteered with Children's Aid and Big Sisters to offer support and guidance to troubled children and single mothers.

In nursing, she most enjoyed working in surgical intensive care and neurological intensive care units. She later became interested in gerontology and completed a certificate program at Ryerson University. While sitting on the boards of directors of some community agencies, she created a program to educate personal support workers (PSW's) prior to the availability of courses at colleges. She taught individualized programs to meet different agency's needs. When she began her ministry as a "nurse in a church" she was in the unique position of interfacing with older people, training personal support workers who assisted older people, and looking at the "big picture" in her role as chair of the board of directors of a community agency providing services to older people.

More recently, Barbara took a parish-nursing course through St. Francis Xavier University. Her purpose in writing this book is to share the valuable knowledge and experience gained in her 15 years as a parish nurse.