title: The importance of spirituality for people living with dementia.
abstract: Spiritual care is an essential aspect of caring for people with dementia. It can improve their quality of life and give them the strength to cope with living with their condition. However, spirituality is a poorly understood concept and healthcare practitioners often lack confidence in assessing and meeting spiritual needs. Therefore, the spiritual needs of people with dementia are often overlooked, which can result in spiritual distress. This article provides an overview of spirituality and spiritual needs. It discusses the potential causes of spiritual distress in people with dementia and provides examples of spiritual care strategies.
authors.affiliation: London, England.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Scott
mesh_terms: D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D018939:Holistic Nursing / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D010327:Pastoral Care / Q000379:methods; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D029181:Spirituality; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: dementia; older people; religiosity; spiritual needs; spirituality