Hospice Care for Native Hawai'ians
Our Shalom Hospice Hawai’ian Program is a specialized offering designed to meet the spiritual, emotional, and cultural needs of patients from the Hawaiian people. At the heart of our program is a deep respect for the traditions, language, and beliefs that shape the identity and worldview of the Kamaʻāina.
Cultural and Language Support
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Support: When possible, we offer support and communication in the Hawaiian language, recognizing the healing power of hearing and speaking one’s native tongue.
Cultural Sensitivity Training: Our staff are trained in Hawaiian values and customs, ensuring care is always given with humility, respect, and aloha.
Traditional Music & Stories: We incorporate mele (songs), oli (chants), and moʻolelo (stories) that connect patients to their heritage and foster a sense of peace and belonging.
Spiritual and Ceremonial Support
Spiritual Companionship: Patients have access to Hawaiian spiritual advisors or kahu (ministers), who can provide blessings, prayers, or cultural counsel as requested by the family.
Hoʻoponopono: We support the facilitation of this traditional practice of reconciliation and forgiveness to bring peace and closure to patients and their ʻohana (family).
Healing Practices: With family consent, we honor and integrate elements of traditional healing, such as lāʻau lapaʻau (herbal medicine), lomilomi (massage), or quiet moments of reflection by nature.
End-of-Life Traditions
Connection to Land (ʻĀina): We recognize the healing importance of the land in Hawaiian culture and facilitate opportunities for patients to feel connected—through native plants, local imagery, or outdoor moments.
Ceremonial Moments: Our team works with families to honor important life passages with Hawaiian ceremony, including pule (prayer), hoʻokupu (offerings), and cultural rites of transition.
Spiritual and Ceremonial Support
Respect for Mana (Spiritual Essence): Care is provided with an awareness of the sacred nature of the body and spirit, ensuring respect in all physical and spiritual care.
Family-Centered Decision Making: We honor the central role of ʻohana in all decisions, offering space for collective reflection and support.
Passing With Dignity: When desired, we assist in integrating final blessings or chants at the time of death, honoring the spirit’s journey and the family’s grief.
Guided by Aloha, Grounded in Culture
At Shalom Hospice of Hawaii, we believe that every patient deserves to be surrounded by love, understanding, and cultural respect. Through our Native Hawai’ian Program, we strive to walk beside each patient and family with aloha in our hearts, honoring their journey in a way that uplifts spirit and preserves identity.