Spiritual Dimension of Care: A Case Study of Caregivers' Practices with Elderly Women Religious (Sisters)
Spiritual Dimension of Care: A Case Study of Caregivers' Practices with Elderly Women Religious (Sisters)

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of the study was to explore how caregivers respond to the spiritual needs of elderly women religious (Catholic Sisters). The research interviews involved four caregivers – two from the United States and two from Poland. The interview questions posed to caregivers focused on how plans of care were developed, organized, delivered and extended into responses to spiritual needs on a daily basis in the respective facilities. The research conducted both in the US and in Poland resulted in common findings related to the religious members’ routines and an intuitive attitude of caregivers who valued a holistic approach to care, relying more on spontaneity and intuition than on designed planning. Spiritual needs were also framed by physical requirements and life history. Results provide the initial insight in the process of spiritual care – mainly by determining the conditions that influence spiritual needs and ways of fulfilling them by caregivers, but assessment of the intuitive strategies is recommended as research is extended.

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