In this segment, we hear the stories of two contemporary hospital social workers as they describe encounters with patients who are looking for a way to explore important life questions that can arise in times of challenge.

We visit a shelter at Seattle’s Mission for a rich exchange with a formerly homeless man who feels the spiritual care he received from mental health workers helped him develop the ability to transition into housing.

Joel Bauman, MD, a geriatrician now working in a hospice, describes ways that physicians are called to provide compassionate support and sometimes spiritual care of dying patients.