Zug, 12.03.2020

Discussions contribute to recovery

Roland Wermuth has been the head of the oecumenical pastoral care at the Zug Cantonal Hospital since the beginning of February. He gives people support by listening to them and discussing with them - and sometimes stimulates them to philosophical questions of meaning.

Roland Wermuth is currently avoiding shaking hands with his conversation partners due to the risks of the Corona virus. The hospital chaplain is therefore currently primarily creating a feeling of closeness through eye contact and in words. “The first impression is crucial. I want to radiate peace and trust, because people should feel comfortable and that they are understood,” says the 46-year-old native of Basle, who has been responsible for the ecumenical management of pastoral care at the Cantonal Hospital as an employee of the Catholic Church in Zug since February.

Wermuth speaks calmly and thoughtfully, with his hands folded on the table as if in prayer. His Basle dialect can be clearly heard when he talks about his work. “As hospital chaplains, we are there for people. Because conversation provide support, strength and confidence in the often-difficult situation in a hospital - and also plays a part in the recovery process,” he explains.

The five-person hospital chaplaincy team in the Zug Cantonal Hospital carries out confidential discussions and provides blessings for newly-born, as well as carrying out farewell rituals and memorial services. Roland Wermuth himself spends most of his time on one-on-one interviews, however, carrying out 5 to 10 a day. Most of these are with patients, but the hospital chaplain is also there for hospital staff and relatives when needed. He makes a visit to every patient who is in hospital for more than a day or two - regardless of religion.

Roland Wermuth is driven by the ability to accompany people on their way through life.

The patient himself decides what is to be discussed. "I never know what to expect when I enter a hospital room," says Wermuth. "What mood is the patient in, what is worrying him, is a conversation possible at all?" As a pastoral worker in a hospital, he is required to be present and to see people.

Many patients tell him their life stories, talk about work and family or about grief due to a loss. Many patients ask meaningful questions about serious illnesses. "An illness is often a turning point in a person’s life, and creates time to think about your own existence," explains Roland Wermuth.

He primarily sees himself in the role of the listener, who stimulates the conversation partner with targeted inputs to question his views. There are also some ideas about God or beliefs that restrict people and could make them fearful. “The seriously ill sometimes feel that God is consciously allowing the illness, or even using it as a punishment. This can be an additional burden, although faith should give more strength.” In such situations, he tries to show people another way of thinking in an eye-to-eye discussion.

As the coordinator of the ecumenical Palliative Pastoral Care, the 46-year-old is also there for the pastoral care of people suffering from incurable or life-threatening diseases. Making a contribution to alleviating distress is not always easy. "In situations that closely affect people, it helps them to reflect on things afterwards."

Wermuth knows what he is talking about, having worked for many years as a pastoral assistant in Zurich and Lucerne before he was employed at the Cantonal Hospital in Zug. In addition to old and physically ailing people, he also accompanied mentally ill people on their way through life. The pastor finds peace and balance in nature, at Gothic concerts and in philosophy, as well as through science fiction: science fiction films are often about profound questions of meaning and being – and that has always fascinated him.

Finding time for the patient between the many nursing appointments and doctor visits is not always easy. Conversations are sometimes interrupted or postponed - hospital chaplains need a lot of flexibility and thoughfulness in their work. “But many people are just happy to have someone to talk to in this often-difficult time in the hospital. It always touches me that they trust me and tell me their life stories.” Being able to accompany people on their way is a gift, emphasises the family man. Roland Wermuth lives in Niederwil near Cham with his wife and two children.