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20 Search Results:

H. Spirituality > 2 Any other • Spirituality is not just religious eg love of nature/music. CARER AUSTRALIAN

H. Spirituality > 2 Any other • Gone beyond simple emotion, now communicating spirit to spirit. Spirituality not just the province of religion. CARER UK

H. Spirituality > 2 Any other • I am strongly Catholic but spirituality is more than religion, everybody has spiritual feelings. CARER HUNGARY

H. Spirituality > 1. Sample narratives • I think it is important to discern believer’s religion and spirituality. I have met many people whom I would describe as being spiritual who do not have/ follow a religion. PROFESSIONAL SINGAPORE

H. Spirituality > 1. Sample narratives • I work with AD in late stages. I am strongly Catholic but spirituality is more than religion, everybody has spiritual feelings. I see old ladies who cannot speak. My mother only had one word ‘thank you’. These ladies very clearly understand the meaning of their life.They are growing in their lives. “I want to go home” is expressing deep spiritual needs. The younger nurses and doctors’ routines – they are ruining those spiritual values. CARER HUNGARY

H. Spirituality > 1. Sample narratives • What about the person with little or no religious faith? I and my husband are lapsed Christians now agnostic in the usually-defined sense. But he and I, despite the very severe dementia, can communicate with each other at a deep level - beyond cognition, beyond simple emotion, but spirit to spirit. This is a good place we wouldn’t have been in except for his dementia. Spirituality is not just the province of religious believers. Spirituality to me is the very essence of the person with dementia or their carers. Emotion is the gate through which we reach spirituality. For without love, we cannot reach inside to the essence of the person with dementia, nor they to reach us. CARER UK

H. Spirituality > 1. Sample narratives • As a nurse working in a rest home I have found that spirituality in the elderly with dementia is very important to them whether it be by sitting quietly and feeling connected to God or enjoying creativity or enjoying others entertaining them. My own mother who has dementia would like to go to church every day. She was/is a very religious person and helps out in various ways in her church. When she is in church she just sits there and absorbs the atmosphere around her. People have said they enjoy sitting near to her, Her spirituality invades them. My mother responds well to be called by her first name. She will not know who the person is who is talking to her but smiles and greets this person because she knows intuitively that that person is a friend and will not hurt her. She now goes twice a week to an Alzheimer group where she participates in games and has good social interaction with those other people there. As I work I have a carer coming into help mum for some of the time I am away. She feels safe and secure with ‘R’ who she has named Jane. Mum treats ‘R’as part of the family and welcoming when she arrives. At times she will get angry and verbally aggressive with her as she does with me. I was told that mum didn't have delusions but fractionated images that were real to her. She has 2 children and her images are about her children at different times in their life. At times it is difficult to tell which baby or child she is talking about when she is talking to me her adult daughter. She might say "H, where is that ‘H’ is at someone place". I often placate her by telling her she is in Christchurch with my sister which she accepts. We live in Napier. J NEW ZEALAND PROFESSIONAL

H. Spirituality > 1. Sample narratives • I am not sure of the merits of using the singular ‘spirituality’ rather than the plural ‘spiritualities’. Different spiritualities may actually be in conflict/ contradiction – or use means/ terminology/ experience that are incommensurable with each other. It is, I guess, possible to abstract ‘spirituality’ to such an extent that it becomes pretty much meaningless. By analogy McIntyre talks about the fragmentation of morality because our concepts regarding morality have been up rooted from the tradition that made them meaningful and cohesive. Perhaps this is so with ‘spirituality’. Even worse, ‘spirituality’ becomes almost synonymous with feeling good, nice experiences – whereas spirituality is also experienced/ expressed in some of the most desolate times (eg Jesuit/Ignatious spirituality). People living with dementia also contribute to the spiritual development of others. We need to look at this contribution as well as individual spirituality. God’s poor – as powerless are ambassadors of God. UK

H. Spirituality > 2 Any other • I think deeply we should not connect spirituality to religion as I know that both atheists and believers pass the same reaction to the event. CARER EGYPT

H. Spirituality > 1. Sample narratives • It seems as if the importance of spirituality is being underestimated by literature (scientific) – but emphasized by the people involved with dementia (patients & carers). SOUTH AFRICA PROFESSIONAL

H. Spirituality > 2. Any other • It seems as if the importance of spirituality is being underestimated by literature (scientific) – but emphasized by the people involved with dementia (patients & carers).

H. Spirituality > Connected to God • My mother… was and is a very religious person and helps out in various ways in her church. When she is in church she just sits there and absorbs the atmosphere around her. People have said they enjoy sitting next to her. Her spirituality invades them

B. Relations/Communication > 1. Sample narratives • Positive Touch - carer to pwd - means of communication, generates confidence: PWD to carer - communication, awareness of other person, social contact. Music - pwd always enjoyed music before diagnosis, continues to enjoy music - classical, jazz, folk - generates awareness of surroundings/responses, often seems to come to life, tries to speak ,may communicate in single words like love/lovely/mention name. Food – enjoys her food, may respond to certain types of food eg sweets - response may be "mmm". Massage - useful means of communication and maintaining social environment. Aromatherapy - sometimes helps maybe by developing good feelings. Social contact is important to be maintained on a regular basis to keep contact. Religion - need to continue normal religious experiences even if the feeling of the 'carers' think that pwd may not fully understand. Personal experience shows that pwd - even in an advanced stage of dementia – has more understanding than is often credited. It is therefore essential to keep activities and experiences of daily living as normal as possible. Negative Insufficient carers to meet needs of facility. Medical problems not always appropriately dealt with or followed through - actual case resulted in development of MRSA. Often placed too near TV in lounge/common room. Care staff lack appropriate training. Staff talking about pwd in front of pwd in a negative way - can observe negative response of pwd. NEW ZEALAND PROFESSIONAL

H. Spirituality > 2. Any other • Relationship is the heart of spirituality. Spirituality is a sense of relationships

H. Spirituality > 2. Any other • Religion - need to continue normal religious experiences even if the feeling of the 'carers' think that pwd may not fully understand. Personal experience shows that pwd - even in an advanced stage of dementia - has more understanding than is often credited.

H. Spirituality > Connected to God • Spiritual rituals etc that have meaning to me personally.

H. Spirituality > 2. Any other • Spiritual rituals etc that have meaning to me personally.

H. Spirituality > 1. Sample narratives • What about us with little or no religious faith. Now agnostic. He and I can communicate at a very deep level through touch. Gone beyond simple emotion, now communicating spirit to spirit. Spirituality not just the province of religion. UK CARER

H. Spirituality > 2 Any other • When you lift the disease, PWD have the same needs to be – connected; loved; known. These are all spirituality PROFESSIONAL USA

H. Spirituality > 2 Any other • ‘spirituality’ becomes almost synonymous with feeling good, nice experiences – whereas spirituality is also experienced/ expressed in some of the most desolate times (eg Jesuit/Ignatious spirituality). UK