The Importance of Spirituality in Hospice Work

Spirituality, Religion, and Aging Research in Social Work: State of the Art and Future Possibilities

“…For example, topics included the role of religious institutions in providing services for the elderly (e.g., Kimble, McFadden, Ellor, & Seeber, 1995;Fillinson, 1988;Pieper, 1981;Thibault, 1995;Tobin, Ellor, & Anderson-Ray, 1986), the role of religion and spirituality in later life development (e.g., Guy, 1982;Mindel & Vaughan, 1978;Seeber, 1990); and the interface between religion and ethnic diversity (e.g., Abramowitz, 1993;Bubis, 1986;Delgado, 1996Delgado, , 1998Heisel & Faulkner, 1982;Morrison, 1991). Studies on spirituality in relation to loss, death, and hospice also began, which sometimes included issues of older adults (e.g., Chung, 1990;Ita, 1995Ita, -1996Millison & Dudley, 1990;Nakashima, 1995).…”

Beyond Coping and Adaptation: Promoting a Holistic Perspective on Dying

“…One of the positive effects of this struggle was that in supporting the hospice philosophy, many social workers in terminal care broke away from the general reluctance in social work to integrate spiritual aspects into clinical practice. However, their writings still primarily discussed the facilitation of spiritually based coping and the use of resources to enhance adaptive capacity (see Millison & Dudley, 1990, for a review). Even though hospice practitioners were among the first groups in social work to address the important role of spirituality, the literature still left out very critical aspects of spirituality that drive the process of human development.…”