Discussion: Biopsychosocial Holistic Approach
The assessment and incorporation of a client’s spirituality has become increasingly common in the field of social work. While historically social workers were trained to avoid discussions centered on religion, we now know that spirituality encompasses many ways of believing. “The Society for Spirituality and Social Work is a network of social workers and other helping professionals dedicated to spiritually sensitive practice and education” (Society for Spirituality and Social Work, n.d.). Addressing a client’s spirituality allows for a biopsychosocial holistic approach that can aid in the process of understanding illness, disability, and end-of-life issues.
For this Discussion, review the required resources and locate one scholarly article addressing spirituality with the elderly.
By Day 3
Post your explanation of the significance of addressing spirituality with the elderly. Identify a spiritually based intervention for this population. Describe the effectiveness of the use of spirituality with the elderly as found in the literature. Then, describe your own thoughts on the use of spirituality in an intervention.
Support your posts with specific references to the Learning Resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.
By Day 5
Respond to at least two colleagues who chose a different intervention and provide insight and/or feedback.
Colleague 1: Kristine Bush
In my career as a certified nurse’s assistant, I have come across a lot of elderly who claim to not have a religious preference. The hospital where I work had been catholic in origin for the bigger part of my time there and most of the population we served were of that religious belief system. In the last ten years we have become a nondenominational hospital and have a spiritual care team from different religious backgrounds. When an elderly person tells you that they feel they will not make it through the night, I call on the spiritual care team because they can help ease them in their time of need. They pray with them if needed, call family if needed, or give them someone to talk to that will not judge them. The spiritual care team members are chaplains and have stayed with the person until they have passed so that they were not alone. Connecting elderly with their spiritual selves gives them a sense of calm understanding and acceptance of the natural order of their life.
In the article titled Spiritual Well-Being, Spiritual Growth, and Spiritual Care for the Aged: A Cross-Faith and Interdisciplinary Effort, written by Amy L. Ai, PhD (2000) the definition of spiritual well-being is “the affirmation of life in a relationship with God, self, community, and environment that nurtures and celebrates wholeness”. We all want to know and feel that we have done right by our families and children, they are able to thrive, and that we have lasting meaningful relationships and will not be alone at our end, that someone will be with us. I personally have a Christian based faith, and I have found the elderly I interact to relate to that with ease. They talk about their childhood and how it was more community based than we are now, and how they could trust their neighbors and vice versa, and how they helped each other out when needed. A spiritually based intervention could be as simple as helping the elderly find their true self, listening to their concerns, and helping to enlighten them on the situation. I feel like the use of spirituality-based intervention with the elderly will help them justify their life and the path(s) they took. As part of the life span, growing old is a fact of life, how you go about it is what counts. I personally believe that spirituality is part of the development of who we become as older adults. What causes some to be grumpy, stand-offish elders, or sweet elders who will do anything to help and be around anyone who needs them to be there? I believe it is our underlying beliefs and spirituality that shapes the elder we become.
Reference
Ai, A. L., PhD. (2000) Spiritual Well-Being, Spiritual Growth, and Spiritual Care for the Aged: A Cross-Faith and Interdisciplinary Effort
Colleague 2: Antoinette Davis
Hello All,
Working with clients, I have learned that some clients take their spirituality very seriously. When assessing clients is it always important to ask and see where their stand with spirituality. After reading the article by Monod (2012), I learned that it’s important to address spirituality with elderly clients in order to influence those who are trying to cope with an illness, disability or life-threatening event in their lives. The article also states that spirituality is considered an essential component of the multidimensional approach used in geriatric care of elderly persons. If spirituality is discussed with elderly clients, it can influence clients in a positive way. The article also states that negative manifestations of spirituality may be associated with poorer health outcomes (Monod et al., 2012). I would use a Spiritual Needs Model to find out a client’s spiritual needs. Monod (2012) states that clients in spiritual distress might have a potentially harmful effect on patient’s prognosis and quality of life. A Spiritual Needs Model will look at the client’s spiritual well-being, their behaviors, beliefs, values and attitudes towards spiritual behaviors. It would help because it will give knowledge on what the client needs to help them through the situation.
An article I found by Mowat & O’Neil (2016) states that spirituality is a search for meaning with or without God; it recognizes the human need for ultimate meaning in life, whether it is fulfilled through a relationship with God or some sense of another, or whether some other sense of meaning becomes the guiding force within the individual’s life. This same article states that human spirituality can also involve relationships with other people (Mowat & O’Neil (2016).
It would be important to assess a client’s spiritual needs in order to help them cope with whatever they are dealing with. When clients believe in high power and the afterlife, it gives them ease and gives them hope for the better. As social workers, it is our job to advocate for them snd provided them with whatever they need. For example, I would try and provide for someone to come in and speak with him/her in order to pray with them and help them cope. It is our job to learn and understand our client’s different religious and spiritual beliefs in order to understand the client and why they may act the way that they do. The more we know and understand the better involved we can be with the client and make sure we are respecting them and showing dignity.
References
Monod, S. M., Rochat, E., Büla, C. J., Jobin, G., Martin, E., & Spencer, B. (2010). The spiritual distress assessment tool: An instrument to assess spiritual distress in hospitalized elderly persons. BMC Geriatrics, 10, 88. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Mowat, H., & O’Neil, M. (2016, August 16). Spirituality and ageing: Implications for the care and support of older people. Retrieved August 08, 2017, from https://www.iriss.org.uk/resources/insights/spirituality-ageing-implications-care-support-older-people
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