Spirituality in Care

Book Title: Spirituality – The Heart of Nursing

Chapter 5: Spirituality in Care 

Description:

Caring in nursing incorporates empathy, sensitivity and compassion and these are all qualities with which nurses are familiar (Diers, 1990). These same qualities are described by Price, Stevens and LaBarre (1995) as being very useful in the promotion of spiritual well-being, so nurses are probably not so unfamiliar with practices relating to spiritual care as they might think.

The process of providing spiritual support for a person can be very challenging yet equally rewarding for the caregiver. There are times when the exercise has a successful outcome and times when it is not so apparent.

Topics:

• Spirituality Described
• Search for meaning
• Need for hope
• Belief in self through love
• Providing spiritual care
• Conclusion
• References

Author:

Tony Bush

RN, RPN, DipAppSc, BAppSc, MPHC

After Tony Bush had worked in a number of Australian States and overseas countries in numerous clinical roles, it became apparent to him that spirituality is common to all people, regardless of their background. In recent years, since completing postgraduate studies in palliative care, Tony has found it possible to develop a model of spiritual care for use not only in a clinical capacity but also in his personal life. This appreciation of existential aspects has reaffirmed his belief that spiritual care really does have a place in nursing curricula and that an exploration of such matters will encourage a student to undertake a personal journey of reflection not just as a nurse, but also as a person. At present Tony coordinates a postgraduate course in palliative care in which students are introduced to the topic of spirituality. This is a very popular aspect of the course which has led Tony to investigate some educational matters involved in facilitating the exploration of such a seemingly nebulous subject.

Professional Reviews: