Spiritual Needs of Older Adults Living with Dementia: An Integrative Literature Review

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundProviders report that persons living with dementia (PLWD) have greater spiritual needs compared to persons without dementia (Hermans et al., 2017), however, spiritual care for spiritual needs is minimally present in dementia care (van der Steen et al., 2014; Durepos et al., 2017). Encompassing connection, spirituality is positively associated with better health, including cognition, quality of life, sleep, behavioral expressions, and well‐being in older adults (Agli et al., 2015; Britt et al., 2022; Britt et al., 2023; Hosseini et al., 2019). Unmet spiritual needs may lead to depression (Puchalski, 2012), anxiety, and greater physical pain (Delgado‐Guay et al., 2016); thus, addressing the spiritual needs of PLWD is essential to support well‐being and inform personalized care.MethodsWe conducted an integrative literature review to identify the spiritual care needs of PLWD by searching five databases (ATLA Religion, CINAHL, PsychInfo, PubMed, and SocIndex) and identified 12 original research studies that focused on spiritual needs of PLWD, published between 2000‐2022 in English.ResultsConducted worldwide, included studies comprised PLWD across all stages (mild, moderate, severe) and contained multiple perspectives (PLWD, family, caregiver, healthcare providers, therapists, faith leaders); most studies were in long‐term care (N = 5) and qualitative in design (N = 9). Sometimes described as religious needs, spiritual needs can be individual or in community. Components of spiritual needs included the importance of maintaining connections in relationships and with religious and spiritual rituals and activities (mealtime grace, bedtime prayers, nature, art, music, communion). Supporting the spiritual needs of PLWD includes connecting them to past sources of meaning and supporting their dignity. Facilitating interaction for PLWD with meaningful sources and connections can promote a sense of peace, provide comfort in the loss of ability, help them retain some control, and support their coping mechanisms.ConclusionsA dimension of holistic care, spiritual care, may facilitate meaningful engagement for PLWD with self and others, supporting their identity and values and leading to a sense of peace. Healthcare providers may utilize complementary, low‐cost holistic care to promote personhood and well‐being among PLWD. Tailored and culturally sensitive spiritual care interventions are needed to support identified spiritual needs among PLWD.