When someone we love is dying, the things that matter most often aren't medical at all. They're the prayers said at the bedside, the way the body is cared for, who is called first, and the customs a family has kept for generations. Getting these things right is one of the most lasting gifts a hospice team can give.
To help, I've made two free printable guides: one for hospice teams and one for families. They cover 24 faith and cultural traditions, and they're built around one simple idea: ask, don't assume.
Why faith and culture belong in hospice care
Spiritual care isn't an extra in hospice. Medicare rules require hospices to assess the spiritual needs of each patient and family, and to support those needs in a way that fits their beliefs and wishes. But intake forms often stop at a single line: "Religion: ______." The details that matter most, like who may touch the body, how quickly burial must happen, or which sacred items must never be removed, are often learned in the moment, when mistakes are hardest to undo.
A few examples of what families may need:
- Jewish and Muslim families often hope for burial very soon after death, and the body is traditionally washed by their own community, not by staff.
- Sikh patients keep five articles of faith, including uncut hair, that should never be removed or cut.
- Bahá'í law asks that burial take place within one hour's travel of where death occurs.
- Buddhist families may ask that the body rest undisturbed for hours, or even days, after death.
- Catholic families may want a priest called early for the Anointing of the Sick, not just in the final minutes.
- Jehovah's Witnesses changed their guidance on blood in 2026, so older medical directives are worth reviewing together.
No guide can tell you what any one family believes. Two families of the same faith may do things very differently. That's why both guides focus on asking good questions and listening to the answers.
For hospice teams: Honoring Every Goodbye
Honoring Every Goodbye: A Faith & Culture Guide for Hospice Teams is a 67-page guide for chaplains, nurses, aides, social workers, and volunteers. It includes:
- Sections on 24 traditions, each with an "At a glance" box, beliefs about dying, bedside care, care after death, mourning customs, questions to ask, and notes for bereavement mailings
- A printable Faith & Culture Wishes Form to use alongside your hospice's spiritual assessment
- Questions to ask every family at admission
- A one-page After-Death Quick Reference and a "when death is near" checklist
- Calendar notes (Shabbat, the Sabbath, Ramadan, lunar anniversaries, and more)
- Guidance on interpreters, sacred objects, and safe ways to honor candles, incense, and smudging near oxygen
- A fill-in Community Contacts page, so you're never searching for a rabbi or imam at 2 a.m.
Honoring Every Goodbye
A Faith & Culture Guide for Hospice Teams · 67 pages · Free to print and share within your hospice · In our free Hospice Staff Library
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For families: Our Traditions Matter
Families often don't know what they're allowed to ask for, or they worry it's too much. Our Traditions Matter: Helping Your Hospice Team Honor Your Family's Faith and Customs is a gentle 22-page guide that helps families speak up. It includes:
- A list of reasonable things families can ask their hospice team for
- Short notes for 24 faiths and cultures, so families know what to mention
- Help for when family members don't agree, or when a family has no faith community
- Our Family's Wishes pages to fill in and hand to the care team
- A page for important names and numbers
Our Traditions Matter
A gentle guide for families · 22 pages · Free to print
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Three things to remember
- A label is not a person. Faith and culture shape a family, but they don't define it. Many families blend traditions.
- The patient is the authority. When wishes differ, the patient's own wishes come first.
- When you don't know, ask. "I want to make sure we honor your family's ways. Is there anything we should know?" is almost always welcome.
You'll find more free resources for families and care teams on our Free Printables page.
These guides share general information about common beliefs and customs. They are not religious, medical, or legal advice. Practices vary widely within every tradition, and families and their faith leaders are always the best guides to their own beliefs.