You are currently viewing Providing Pastoral Care for Persons with Disabilities: Disability Empathetic Awareness

Post author:Rev. Joseph Louis
Post published:December 29, 2023
Reading time:9 mins read
Post category:Pastoral Care
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This thesis is intended for ministers and caregivers who are unsure of what they need to begin providing care for PWD. I find the essential need today for PWD caregivers is to have an empathetic awareness of disability. I argue that providing pastoral care for PWD requires caregivers to have both cognitive awareness of disability and the ability to develop advanced empathetic responses. Caregiving for PWD requires a deep understanding of the unique experience of disability. Empathy also plays a crucial role, as caregivers need to be able to imagine and comprehend PWD’s experiences. A lack of cognitive awareness and accurate knowledge regarding specific disabilities can hinder the development of empathy.