Understanding Spiritual Differences

The Importance of Understanding Spiritual Differences in the Caregiving Role Rev. Eric J. Hall, MDiv, MA President and CEO

HealthCare Chaplaincy Network

Rev. Eric J. Hall • President and CEO of HealthCare Chaplaincy Network – Chaplaincy, Education, Spiritual Research

• Founded Alzheimer’s Foundation of America – Brought together over 1600 organizations coast-to-coast

• Served on National Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Disease with US Secretary of Health and Human Services • Presbyterian Minister, Pastor, Eastchester Presbyterian Church

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What is spirituality and how does it differ from religion?

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Spirituality refers to a belief in a higher power, an awareness of life and its meaning, the centering of a person with purpose in life. It involves relationships with a higher being, with self, and with the world around the individual. Spirituality implies living with moral standards.

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Religion is an organized and public belief system of worship and practices that generally has a focus on a god or supernatural power. It generally offers an arrangement of symbols and rituals that are meaningful and understood by its followers.

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“Religion is primarily a set of beliefs, a collection of prayers, or rituals. Religion is first and foremost a way of seeing. It can’t change the facts about the world we live in, but it can change the ways we see those facts, and that in itself can often make a difference.” (Harold Kushner)

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Spirituality fulfills specific needs – Meaning to life, illness, crises, and death – Sense of security for present and future – Guides daily habits – Elicits acceptance or rejection of other people – Provides psychosocial support in a group of like-minded people – Strength when facing life’s crises – Healing strength and support 7

Basic Spiritual Needs of Every person – A meaningful philosophy of life (values and moral sense) – A sense of the transcendent (outside of self, view of God and something beyond the immediate life, having hope) – A trusting relationship with God (faith) – A relatedness to nature and people (friendship). Experiencing love and forgiveness – A sense of life meaning

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Significant Human Need for Meaning – The search for meaning is one of the primary motivators that keeps us going.

When a person comes to a place where his or her life makes no sense, and there seems to be no meaning or purpose, depression and indifference set in. – If the person can find no help for meaning or purpose in the future, he or she longs for death

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• Meaning How do we make meaning of our existence? • Community With whom do we connect as we seek to make meaning?

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• Hope What are our sources of hope and how do we access them? • Holy What is holy and how do we relate to that?

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Spirituality plays a role in healing

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Spiritual Care – Practice of compassionate silence – Listening to patient’s fears, hopes, pains, dreams – Obtaining a spiritual history – Attentiveness to all dimensions of the patient and patient’s family: mind, body and spirit – Incorporation of spiritual practices as appropriate – Involve chaplains as members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team 13

Spiritual care is recognizing and responding to the multifaceted expressions of spirituality we encounter in our patients and their families. The purpose is to determine the nature of a person’s relationship to God and other people, and to give the person the opportunity to accept spiritual support. Themes such as the search for meaning, feelings of connection or isolation, hope or hopelessness, and fear of dying are all clues that a person is struggling with spiritual issues.

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Many caregiving professionals fear engaging in courageous conversation

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A patient’s spirituality often differs from our own

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Important for caregivers to have general knowledge of various spiritual traditions in order to care for the diversity in our patients

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Critical to have awareness of our own spiritual traditions and world views so we can be aware of our own biases and limitations 18

Limit the assumptions we make about our patients and their values

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Patients draw out their own spiritual resources

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How can we identify spiritual struggle and respond appropriately?

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Spiritual Struggle

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Understanding spiritual differences enables caregivers to help patients tap into their hearts and unleash the life-giving and healing forces known as spirituality 23