Attending to the spiritual in dementia care nursing

Spirituality is a complex and subjective concept. However, spiritual wellness is an important component in a person's overall well-being and the spiritual support of patients is central to nursing care. People with dementia may not be well-supported in this aspect of care; this may lead to spiritual distress. Spiritual needs may be identified by taking the person's spiritual history or, in the case of advanced dementia, by asking a person's significant others about the important spiritual aspects of the person's life. Spiritual care for people with dementia involves reflective practice and meaningful engagement with the person with dementia, so as to facilitate shared understanding. Furthermore, the support of the spiritual and religious beliefs of the person need to be facilitated within an individualised or person centred approach to care and delivered within a multi-disciplinary collaborative context.