HOSPITAL OFFERS PRAYER IN MANY TONGUES; VOLUNTEER CHAPLAINS SPEAK ARRAY OF LANGUAGES.Byline: Donna Huffaker Daily News Staff Writer Maghak Maghakian lay in his bed at Glendale Adventist Medical Center Glendale Adventist Medical Center is located in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale, California. It was founded in 1905. Glendale Adventist Medical Center is a sister institution of Loma Linda University Medical Center and is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist hospital system. and held his wife's hand, as he had on most days since his open-heart surgery open-heart surgery Any surgical procedure opening the heart and exposing one or more of its chambers, most often to repair valve disease or correct congenital heart malformations (see congenital heart disease). . The couple exchanged smiles and nods with those caring for Maghakian in the hospital, but he and his wife speak little English. Adding to the stress and disorientation disorientation /dis·or·i·en·ta·tion/ (-or?e-en-ta´shun) the loss of proper bearings, or a state of mental confusion as to time, place, or identity. after major surgery, the 73-year-old man was dealing with a language barrier. Linda Lalaian broke that barrier with the Lord's Prayer, said in Armenian. Tears welled in Maghakian's eyes as Lalaian, a volunteer chaplain CHAPLAIN. A clergyman appointed to say prayers and perform divine service. Each house of congress usually appoints it own chaplain. at the hospital, clasped his hand and prayed. Maghakian asked God to give him strength and to bless his surgeon. ``This is a very emotional time in a person's life. They're scared. They're weak. Hearing their own language makes them just that much more comfortable,'' Lalaian said. She is one of 15 volunteer chaplains at Glendale Adventist who provide spiritual support. Each of the chaplains can speak one or two languages in addition to English. The seven foreign languages spoken by the chaplains include Farsi, Russian, Turkish and Armenian. The program, which started four years ago, is particularly beneficial in Glendale's ethnically diverse community, said head chaplain Janet Richardson. Richardson is a licensed minister and a family and marriage counselor. She trains the chaplains in hospital protocol, patient etiquette etiquette, name for the codes of rules governing social or diplomatic intercourse. These codes vary from the more or less flexible laws of social usage (differing according to local customs or taboos) to the rigid conventions of court and military circles, and they , and listening and counseling skills counseling skills, n the acquired verbal and nonverbal skills that enhance communication by helping a medical professional to establish a good rapport with a patient or client. . Other volunteers shadow the chaplains and roam the hospital rooms until they are ready to make their own visits. ``When you hear prayer in your own language, it often takes you back to your childhood and a feeling of security,'' Richardson said. Not all patients feel like chatting or praying with a chaplain, no matter what the language, Lalaian said. Some are too tired and weak. So even when her presence is requested in a patient's room, she is careful not to stay longer than five minutes. That was about all the time she spent with Maghakian and his wife, Aznev. He patted the silver stubble on his face when she walked into the room and said, ``No shave shave (shav) 1. to cut at or parallel to the surface of the skin. 2. to remove the beard or other body hair by such a process. 3. to cut thin slices from or to cut into thin slices. .'' Lalaian told him in his own language that he looked fine and she wouldn't stay long. The Maghakians and Lalaian bowed their heads and prayed until it got to be too emotional for the patient. Lalaian, who is Armenian-American, said her culture is one in which men are seen as the pillars of the family. When they are ill and feel weak, they feel embarrassed and it can be devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. , she said. Through an interpreter A high-level programming language translator that translates and runs the program at the same time. It translates one program statement into machine language, executes it, and then proceeds to the next statement. , Aznev Maghakian said she believes God doesn't care which language a worshipper speaks, but she thanked the chaplain for praying in Armenian. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Chaplain Linda Lalaian visits hospitalized Maghak Maghakian and his wife, rear. Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News |
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