SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION

Impact for ageing society

Stages of Life, Longevity & Many Older People

Life expectancy

• Average male life expectancy: 87 – 97 years

• Average female life expectancy: 87 – 99 years

• Australia’s population of people aged over 85 years has grown 160%, compared to a national population growth of just 30%

Challenges with ageing

“There was no respect for youth when I was young and now that I am old, there is no respect for age – I missed it coming and going”. J.B Priestly

• Western culture values people for what they can produce, do, create or possess

• Desire to stay ‘young’ forever• Stereotyping

Presentation Outline• Influences affecting ageing outcomes • Holistic care includes spiritual care• Spirituality• Assessment of spiritual needs• Spiritual Care Planning• Helpful Tools• 3 stories from Aged Care Chaplaincy experience

Influences affecting ageing

• Health• Finances• Social/relationship support• Ethnicity & Genetics• Chronic illnesses • Frailty requiring further care

People are physical, psychological/social, spiritual beings

Older people need holistic care and emotional support as well as assistance with activities of daily living.

Reflection Questions

How would you define spirituality?

How do you express your spirituality in everyday life?

What do you believe in?

What gives life meaning?

Spirituality

Personal quest for understanding and seeking answers to ultimate

questions about:• Life• Meaning• Relationship to the sacred or

transcendent

Religion

System of beliefs, practices, rituals & symbols designed to:

• Facilitate closeness to the sacred or

transcendent

• Foster an understanding of one’s relationship & responsibility to others in community

Religion

Religion and spirituality

SpiritualityReligion

“The ageing journey itself involves spiritual work in order to have hope, develop maturity leading to wisdom and to find meaning towards end of

life” (Nouwen & Gaffney, 1976).

Expression of spirituality

Spiritual Tasks

Spiritual Tasks (MacKinlay)

May involve

• Working through issues of guilt• Forgiveness of self as well as others• Reconciliation with others• Reconciliation with God

Hoped for OutcomesAnna Bloemhard sees spiritual care:

• Creating an atmosphere of trust and peace• Supporting resident and family• Helping to diminish fears and anxiety about suffering and death• Increasing coping skills• Restoration and maintenance of dignity and sense of personhood• Reciprocal interpersonal connections• Finding sense of meaning and purpose for all involved

Assessment Tools

Verbally based

Pictorial

Spiritual Lifeline

Initial Assessment

Values

Challenges

Religious Affiliation

Spiritual Strength & Support

Ongoing Spiritual Assessment

Concept of God

Involvement pattern

Religious practices

Helping others

Sources of hope & strength

Goals

How do you practice your spirituality?

How can we support you in this?

Is anything particularly frightening/meaningful to you now?

Care & support planning

Beware! There is a very real danger of spiritual care planning becoming too clinical – it is not a medical document!

• Spiritual care supports well-being rather than highlighting what is lacking

• Spiritual care is provided through caring people being ‘fully present’ with the older person in all aspects of their care needs

What does a spiritual plan look like?

A spiritual plan should support residents in re-establishing a commitment to seeking spiritual growth.

1. What are their needs?

2. What are the goals of the plan ?

3. What is the action plan to achieve goals?

4. Evaluate the plan to see if it is achieving the stated goals

It is important to keep the conversation going

Cards to draw out questions of meaning

Ups and Downs

Signpost

Provide down time for reflection

Understand the value of ritual

The benefit of small groups

My Stories

Blessing

“That we come to understand that it is the quality of what we think and say that makes us valuable members of society, not how fast or busy we

are.

Being able to live so open-heartedly and to adjust so well, that others can look to us and see what being old can bring in terms of life, holiness and

goodness to make the world new again”

Joan Chittester