What Does a Spiritual Care Coordinator Do in a Senior Living Community?

Career Guidance
A woman in a red blouse reads a book while sitting in a church pew, with a man seated in the background and stained-glass windows behind them.

In the middle of all the clinical activity of a senior living community — the medications, the therapies, the care planning — there is a quieter kind of work happening. It’s the work of spiritual care: sitting with a resident who is frightened about dying, helping a family find meaning in a difficult transition, honoring the faith practices of people from dozens of different traditions, and being present in the moments when no clinical intervention is what’s needed.

This work belongs to the spiritual care coordinator — and it’s one of the most profound and underappreciated roles in aging services.

What spiritual care actually involves

Spiritual care coordinators (also called chaplains, or directors of spiritual services) provide pastoral and emotional support to residents, families, and sometimes staff. Their work is typically not limited to any one religious tradition — it encompasses people of deep faith, people with no religious affiliation, and everyone in between.

Day to day, this might mean leading a nondenominational chapel service in the morning, visiting a resident who has been refusing meals and finding out she’s grieving, facilitating a family meeting where end-of-life wishes need to be discussed, or simply sitting with someone who needs company.

End-of-life care is a significant part of the role. Spiritual care coordinators are often the people residents turn to when they’re facing death — their own, or a fellow resident’s. The ability to be present in those moments without flinching, without filling the silence unnecessarily, is a particular and valuable skill.

Who is drawn to this work

People who come to spiritual care roles typically have backgrounds in ministry, chaplaincy, divinity school, or community religious leadership — though backgrounds in counseling, social work, and community care are also relevant. Many hold clinical pastoral education (CPE) credits, which are the standard training credential for healthcare chaplaincy.

What draws people to this work is often the same thing that makes it difficult: the intensity of it. The privilege of being trusted with someone’s deepest fears and most important transitions. The weight of that trust, and the meaning that comes with carrying it well.

What the role pays and requires

Spiritual care coordinators in aging services typically earn $30–33/hr. Requirements vary by community — some require a master of divinity or equivalent theological training, others prioritize CPE hours and experience. Increasingly, communities are seeking interfaith-competent chaplains who can serve residents across religious traditions.

How to explore this path

Visit the Social Services & Life Enrichment pathway page on Caring Careers Start Here to learn more about this and related roles. Use the Employer Match tool to connect with communities near you that offer spiritual care programs — and ask about how their program is structured and what they look for in a chaplain.