Caring for the spirit: lessons from working with the dying

Spiritual care is integral to palliative care, and palliative care experience in offering spiritual care can be a resource for the emerging healthcare interest in spirituality. Spirituality is best understood in terms of the web of relationships that gives coherence to our lives, uniquely identifying each person. In palliative care, responsibility for spiritual care is shared by the whole team, with leadership given by specialist practitioners such as pastoral care workers. The palliative care approach to spiritual care may, however, be transferred to other contexts and to individual practice. Spiritual care encourages and supports people in a quest for meaning and personal autonomy. It is offered, not imposed.