Chaplain Ed Ellis Personalizes Care to Meet the Emotional, Spiritual and Religious Needs of Patients and Families 

Spirituality is the way that each person experiences their connection to each moment, to others, and to the sacred or important. At Ohio’s Hospice, our chaplains provide spiritual support that respects the religious and non-religious needs of our patients and families. They offer a caring, open-minded, respectful and confidential presence.  

Ed Ellis is one of several chaplains who support our mission by serving the spiritual needs of the patients and families we are honored and privileged to serve. Ellis has served most of his 30 years with Ohio’s Hospice at Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County. During the past couple of years, he has provided support to the organization as a chaplain coordinator at Ohio’s Hospice. 

“Patients and families facing end-of-life care have strong foundational needs to be supported in their exploration and practice of spiritual well-being,” Ellis said. “Accompanying others along a path that leads to peace is a very rewarding journey.”   

He personalizes the care he provides to patients and their families to meet their emotional, spiritual and religious needs. He has clinical training in diverse settings that respect religious and non-religious belief systems. “Honoring many different spiritual practices is both an opportunity and responsibility of a chaplain who commits oneself to an interfaith ministry,” Ellis said. “Equipping oneself with an educated appreciation for many different cultures and religious traditions translates to an important respect.”  

This in turn honors the welcome that chaplains like Ellis receive when they enter the many different homes and lives of those they serve. “There is also much to be learned from those who serve in leadership roles in the many different religious and spiritual communities both within and beyond the communities we are honored and privileged to serve,” he said. 

While there have been many memorable moments of his career as a chaplain with Ohio’s Hospice, there is one family he will always remember. He provided spiritual care to a family with multiple members over a period of time. “I was so greatly impacted by the care of the first family member, who had served as a caregiver to the dependent needs of the other two family members for many years,” he said. “Her strong and dedicated faith and concern for them has been such an important reminder to me of what it truly means to be a quiet and dedicated ‘servant.’ I was given the opportunity to be with her as she drew her last breath, and I will always regard that as a very holy moment.” 

Even if a patient and their family is not religious, Ellis says that spiritual care is important. Chaplains across Ohio’s Hospice are grounded and educated in their faiths and have clinical training in diverse settings that respect religious and non-religious belief systems. They do not impose their belief system on patients and families. 

“All of us are created as precious expressions of the life we share. Our value as individuals and through the relationships we share makes us unique and a part of the whole of who we are as a united human community,” Ellis said. “Spiritual care honors each person through imparting an appreciation for what is contributed through individualized care and honor.” 

Chaplains are available 24/7 to visit patients and families in their homes, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and care centers.  

“We are prepared to support you in the life-shaping moments that are inherently important to those we serve,” Ellis said. “We will dedicate ourselves to provide a supportive presence with you through even the most difficult occasions.” 

We’re grateful to Ellis and all of our chaplains for all they do to provide spiritual care to our patients and families. 

To reach a chaplain, call 800.653.4490 or click here for more information on our website.