NACC WEBINAR Spiritual Care for Persons with Dementia Resources

Gerontologist, 2021

Background and Objectives: Spiritual care aims to counter negative outcomes from spiritual distress and is beneficial to persons living with dementia. Such care needs dementia-appropriate customization. We explored the salient spiritual needs in dementia to inform future intervention development. Health care providers are well situated to observe the nature of spiritual needs across and within medical conditions. Research Design and Methods: We conducted semistructured qualitative interviews with providers. We sampled purposively by discipline (chaplains, nursing staff, social workers, activities professionals) and religious tradition (for chaplains). Our interview guide inquired about, for example, the nature of spiritual needs in dementia and stakeholders' roles in addressing them. Inductive/deductive thematic analysis was employed. Results: 24 providers participated. The thematic structure consisted of 2 themes: (a) spiritual experience in dementia differs from that in other medical conditions (subthemes: fear, profound loss of self, progressive and incurable nature, and impacted ability to access faith) and (b) the need for spiritual intervention at the mild stage of dementia (subthemes: awareness in mild dementia and its influence on spiritual distress, and a window of opportunity). Discussion and Implications: We learned about the potential "what" of spiritual needs and "who" and "when" of implementing spiritual care. Implications included the imperative for dementia-specific spiritual assessment tools, interventions targeting fear and loss of self early in symptom progression, and stakeholder training. Researchers should study additionally the "how" of dementia-appropriate spiritual care. Conjointly, these efforts could promote spiritual wellbeing in persons living with dementia worldwide.

Journal of Religion & Health, 1985

Dementia is considered the "major psychiatric disorder of old age" and affects over 4 million people in the United States. As Alzheimer's disease and other dementias progress, the patient can become increasingly dependent on the family for care. This dependency can place the caregiver in a role that is both difficult and demanding. In this study coping strategies used by family caregivers of dementia patients and caregivers' sense of burden were assessed. Burden scores were significantly correlated with spiritual support, an external coping strategy. When spiritual well-being is integrated with medical and psychosocial needs, the clergy and spiritual community can play an integral role in the care for families and dementia patients. Spiritual Support No disease can destroy like this one. It destroys the brain yet leaves the physical body intact. To see a beautiful, talented, intelligent human being reduced to a living vegetable is almost beyond bearing. {Daughter and caregiver, aged 52}

Healthcare

Older adults living with dementia experience progressive decline, prompting reliance on others for spiritual care and support. Despite a growing interest in studying persons living with dementia (PLwDs), empirical evidence on the spiritual needs of PLwDs has not been synthesized. Using the Whittemore and Knafl method, this integrative review examined the literature from 2000 to 2022 on the spiritual care needs of PLwDs. We sought to identify characteristics of the spiritual needs of PLwDs and ways to address them. The ATLA Religion, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Socindex databases were used to search the literature, and 12 peer-reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria. Spiritual care needs varied across studies. Overall, findings support the importance of identifying PLwDs’ religious and spiritual backgrounds to inform person-centered care. Spiritual needs were identified as verbal and non-verbal expressions related to past meaning and religious and spiritual background and were...

International journal of religion, 2024

Dementia is a progressive psychiatric disorder characterized by significant cognitive and non-cognitive impairments. This article explores the spiritual needs of seniors with dementia, emphasizing the anthropological constants of spirituality and religiosity. Despite the challenges posed by dementia, maintaining spiritual identity, integrating religious or spiritual rituals, fostering community support, and open communication with caregivers are identified as crucial aspects of spiritual care. The article highlights the diverse spiritual needs of seniors with dementia and stresses the importance of individualized, sensitive approaches to support their overall well-being. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of spiritual care as an integral component of the bio-psycho-social model of palliative care for seniors with dementia.

Dementia (London, England), 2015

To synthesize research that investigated how residents and caregivers view spiritual care, come to understand the spiritual needs of people with dementia, and how caregivers provide care congruent with peoples' needs. Meta-synthesis using Noblit and Hare's meta-ethnography. A synthesis of eight qualitative, empirical, primary studies that explored spiritual care in the context of dementia care was performed. Spiritual care for persons with dementia was described in the forms of (i) performing religious rituals that provides a sense of comfort and(ii) coming to know the person, which provides opportunities to understand a person's meaning and purpose, and (iii) attending to basic needs provides an opportunity to appreciate others' vulnerability and humanness. Spiritual care intended to help persons with dementia to express their faith and religious beliefs, and help persons with dementia experience meaning in life, connectedness to self, God/deity and other persons.

Religions, 2022

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

BMC Nursing, 2015

Background: Spiritual care for people with dementia who are in nursing homes is one aspect of the holistic care provided by nurses. A number of studies have explored the concepts of spirituality and religiosity, but fewer studies describe how nurses provide spiritual care in practice. The Purpose of the study was thus to investigate how nurses and care workers can provide spiritual care for people with dementia who live in nursing homes. Methods: This is a qualitative study with an exploratory design using a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach. Interviews were conducted in eight focus groups with 31 nurses and care workers in 4 Norwegian nursing homes. Results: The nurses were unsure about whether they actually provided spiritual care. Through discussions in the focus groups, a new understanding and insight was developed. The spiritual care that the nurses provided included: (1) integrating spiritual care into general care, described as 'physical touch' and 'responsiveness and intuition'; (2) spiritual care in terms of togetherness, described as 'being present' and 'sensitivity in communication'; and (3) spiritual care as providing meaningful activities for everyday life, described as 'facilitating activities' and 'meeting the residents' religious needs'. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the need for nurses and care workers to discuss and reflect on how to understand and describe spiritual care for people with dementia in practice. There is a need to develop and expand the knowledge about how to teach carers to recognize resident's spiritual needs and expressions of spirituality and to establish a comprehensive view of spiritual care for people with dementia in nursing homes.

Dementia, 2003

This special issue of Dementia brings together three perspectives related to dementia care, religion, and spirituality; the diagnosed; the family caregiver; and the clinician. It is notable that a common message is found in all three perspectives. Specifically, issues of religion and spirituality must not be ignored in the dementia experience. Spirituality and religion are significant resources -across a wide spectrum of faith perspectives -for coping with a diagnosis of dementia. The definitions of the terms 'religion' and 'spirituality' have been the object of extensive study . However, there are common themes across the myriad of definitions of these terms. Religion most often refers to a particular doctrinal framework that guides a system of beliefs that are sanctioned by a broader faith community. Religion not only structures how people worship, but it also provides the tools for worship, including songs, sacred texts, and prayer. Spirituality, which may or may not be linked with a particular religion, is more focused on a search for meaning in life. To be spiritual means to be connected in some way to a divine or transcendent sense of purpose. An increasing body of work has focused attention on the religious and spiritual aspects of dementia care. Some of this work has focused on the aspects of offering spiritual care and support to those with dementia. notes that emotional aspects of spirituality can take on increased significance for those seeking to maintain connections with family members diagnosed with dementia. Churches, synagogues, and other places of worship have a unique and important role to play in maintaining and supporting those connections. and suggest de men tia d e m e n t i a ©    www.sagepublications.com  () -

Dementia, 2010

Dementia, 2020

Objectives Churches and faith groups have an important role to play in the development of dementiafriendly communities; their support of spirituality of people with dementia and their caregivers adds an important dimension, interwoven with concepts of personhood and identity. Priests have a central role here, but little is known of their experiences of ministering to people with dementia and their families, of the challenges they may encounter, or of their perspective on dementia. Method Using a collective case study approach, ten Church in Wales priests took part in an in-depth qualitative interview regarding their ministry with people with dementia. Initial thematic analysis was used as a basis for an in-depth analysis of the positions adopted by clergy in relation to dementia and those experiencing it, as well as to their roles in the wider church. Results Clergy described discovering ways of working with people with dementia, learning 'on the job', and, for example, finding familiar symbols and music helpful. They found themselves being an intermediary, between people with dementia and God, but also within families and other care settings, such as care homes. Promoting spirituality within personhood was a fundamental aspect of their role, but was also reflected both in fears of dementia and in identifying redeeming aspects of dementia. They described an absence of preparedness, training and peer support for this ministry. The emerging model of dementia ministry reflected the dynamic interplay of positions adopted by clergy, with an interface between the professional and the personal at its centre. Conclusion The study indicates the need for increased support for clergy in taking forward dementia friendly churches and highlights their role in ensuring that the spiritual life of people with dementia can be maintained and supported.