Ageing and spirituality

Question 1

What is spirituality?

Answer 1

o	Part of the human dimension 
o	Gives our life meaning and purpose 
o	What we value 
o	Guides who and what we love 
o	Belief and faith in oneself 
o	Personal values, love, creativity and self expression 
o	Forgiveness’

Question 2

4 common spiritual needs?

Answer 2

1. Search for meaning
2. Sense of forgiveness
3. Need for love
4. Need for hope

Spiritual well being = a sense of harmonious interconnectedness between self, others and nature. Exists throughout and beyond time and space

Question 3

What is spiritual health?

Answer 3

= Achieved when a person finds a balance between his or her life values, goals and belief systems and their relationship within themselves and with others

Question 4

What is spiritual distress?

Answer 4

• The disruption of an individual’s life principle that fills their entire being
• May cause them to feel alone or even abandoned by resources that once were very nurturing
• May occur due to aging, illness, loss, grief or a major life change
• Individuals may question their spiritual values
• Raising questions about their whole way of life
• Purpose for living and source of meaning

Question 5

What loss comes with ageing?

Answer 5

• Physical change - sight and hearing, mobility
• Social changes - moving accommodation, familiar supports
• Personal losses - partner, family, friends and Bereavements
Losses accumulate as years pass

Question 6

How are nursing spiritual carers?

Answer 6

• Often present in times of spiritual crisis
  o Times of significant stess and turmoil
• Nurses provide spiritual care
• Time to recognise, articulate and claim this important element of nursing

Question 7

Spiritual caring interventions?

Answer 7

Humanistic interventions 
•	Professional presence 
•	Communication 
•	Listening 
•	Allow to express their needs

Pragmatic interventions
• Assessment of spiritual needs
• Referral and facilitation
• Pastoral carers and other health practitioners

Religious interventions
• Religious practice or ritual
• Engagement religious person
• Assess whether they are open to religious intervention

Question 8

Whole person care model?

Answer 8

CLEAR acronym 
•	C : Connect
o	Be present
•	L : Listen 
o	Physical, emotional, relational and spiritual story
•	E : Explore
o	"what are your major concerns?"
•	A : Acknowledge
o	How the person sees things
•	R : Review resources and empower
o	"in difficult times what helps you most? 
o	What resources might help now?

Question 9

Spirituality and nurse spiritual caring?

Answer 9

• Sense of spirituality impacts nurses spiritual caring
• Heightened spiritual awareness increases level of spiritual caring
• Palliative care nurses have higher level of spiritual caring
• Nursing experience increases spiritual caring
• Years of life leaved increases spiritual caring