Spirituality within dementia care: perceptions of health professionals

There is an increasing awareness that people with dementia should have their spiritual needs addressed. The aim of this study was to investigate health professionals' understanding of spirituality within dementia care and their perceptions of how patients' spiritual needs are met and by whom. A phenomenological approach was used, with semi-structured interviews undertaken with four nurses, two occupational therapists, two physiotherapists, two doctors and one speech and language therapist (n = 11). All the health professionals found defining 'spirituality' difficult, although common terminology was used. They agreed that spirituality was not solely related to religion. Chaplaincy staff were associated with the provision of spiritual care, but 10 of the health professionals identified themselves as staff who should address such spiritual needs. The majority (n = 10), however, reported a lack of confidence with spiritual care and agreed that training would be valuable. The findings indicate that all health professionals should address the spiritual needs of patients with dementia. A working definition of 'spirituality' is needed and further research is also warranted into the type of training needed by health professionals with regard to the spiritual care of patients.