Spirituality In Older Adults Research Articles

What is known about the spirituality in older adults living in residential care facilities? An Integrative review.

To synthesize evidence regarding the spiritual needs and care of older adults living in residential care facilities from the perspectives of older adults and nurses or caregivers. Integrative review of literature. Literature search was conducted using CINAHL Plus with Full Text via EBSCO, Scopus, PubMed, PsychInfo, Web of Science, and ProQuest Social Science Databases from March to December 2017. This integrative review utilised the Whittemore and Knafl framework and PRISMA in the selection of eligible articles. Quality of the articles was evaluated using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool. Seven articles were reviewed and analysed. There is limited evidence \and no agreed definition of spiritual needs and care of older adults living in residential care facilities. Spiritual needs of older adults in residential care facilities is a psycho-social, religious and existential construct. Spiritual care in residential care facilities is linked to information gathering, religious guidance, maintaining family connections, providing companionship, discussing end of life issues, and providing counseling. Older adults highly value the role of nurses and caregivers in fulfilling their spiritual needs and providing spiritual care. However, nurses and caregivers perceived arranging a referral to a religious advisor as the main aspect of spiritual care. Therefore, nurses', caregivers', and older adults' views on spiritual care differed to some extent. The practical aspects of spiritual needs assessment and spiritual care provision requires further investigation, which is essential to improve the effectiveness of service delivery in residential care facilities.

2115 – Older adult's adjustment to aging and spirituality: a multiple correspondence analysis

To analyze the indicators of adjustment to aging (AtA) and to investigate the latent constructs that can work as major determinants in spirituality for a cross-national older community-dwelling population. Questionnaires were completed, assessing participants’ background information. Interviews were performed, addressing one core area: indicators of AtA. Complete data were available for 154 older adults, aged between 75-103 years ( M = 86.6, SD = 6.98) from two different nationalities. Data was subjected to content analysis. Representation of the associations and latent constructs were analyzed by a Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA). The most prevalent response of the interviewed participants for indicators of AtA was ‘spirituality’ (43.2%) whereas ‘financial stability’ was the least referred indicator of AtA (10.3%). ‘Spiritual activities’ was the most reported response regarding ‘spirituality’ (20.0%). Spirituality for older adults was explained by a three-factor overall model: ‘spiritual and existential meaning’, ‘limit-related awareness’ and ‘community embeddedness’. The findings presented in this paper emphasized the need to explore the potential of spirituality to AtA and the need for improving the spiritual dimension of health care for the older population.

Spirituality, Religion, and Aging Research in Social Work: State of the Art and Future Possibilities

ABSTRACT This article identifies the unique contributions social work has made to the study of spirituality and religion in relation to aging, based on respect for their diverse expressions. Definitions of religion and spirituality that particularly relate to late life are provided. The study of spirituality and aging is situated in four historical phases ranging from sectarian origins (1890s to 1920), to professionalization and secularization (1920s–1970s), to renewed interest (1980s to mid 1990s), to the current phase characterized by transcending boundaries. Interdisciplinary research by social workers is prevalent. Topics of study include a wide range of religious and nonreligious spiritual perspectives, cultural groups, and life domains. There is an expansion of interest in international research and collaboration on spirituality and aging as well. Future research possibilities include functions of religion and spirituality for older adults, spirituality in relation to professional direct practice, professional ethics, macro level social work, and public policy. The state of the art provides a foundation for future expansion in detail and depth of studies on these topics as well as for greater refinement of relevant theory and methodologies for inquiry.

Opposing Trends of Religious Attendance and Religiosity in Predicting Elders’ Functional Recovery after an Acute Myocardial Infarction

This study examined the role of religion and spirituality in older adults’ functional recovery following an AMI. Participants were interviewed within 2 weeks of the AMI about their religious beliefs. Functional recovery was evaluated using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) at one month and seven months. We found that those who reported attending religious services more frequently had better functional recovery. In contrast, those who considered themselves more spiritual had worse functional recovery. These findings remained after controlling for age, gender, co-morbidity (Charlson Co-Morbidity Scale), depression (CES-D), social support (MOS Social Support Survey), and grip strength in Linear Mixed Models. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Religion and Coping in Older Adults

Religion is an important coping resource for many older adults. This paper briefly describes social work's religious roots, makes a distinction between religion and spirituality for older adults, and presents empirical data showing how older adults employ religious strategies to cope with life challenge. The study reports on religious coping in an available sample of 79 European American and African American older adults residing in urban community dwellings. Implications suggest how social workers and others may support religious coping.

Spirituality in Older Adults: A Cross-Cultural and Interfaith Perspective

The definition of “spirituality” poses a variety of problems for the development of theory and research, as well as practical problems for persons interested in promoting the spiritual well-being of older adults. Although any definition of “spirituality” is problematic, a definition is proposed that comes out of the writer's clinical experience and is relevant to his understanding of the aging process in different cultural and religious contexts. Two case studies are presented to illustrate the relevance of the definition to the experience of older persons from different cultural and religious backgrounds. Reflections on the case studies suggest ways that an appropriately trained “advocate” might have helped the persons in these illustrations make changes in their situations that might have improved the quality of their lives. Material from the case studies is also used to clarify differences among terms such as “spirituality,” “religion,” “religiosity,” and “piety.” The paper proposes to be a contribution to a theoretical foundation for studying and working with “spirituality” in older adults.