Spirituality in residential care for people living with dementia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Spirituality in residential care for people living with dementia: implementing reflective tools for care workers of people living with dementia
IRAS ID
323992
Contact name
Olivia Luijnenburg
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 30 days
Research summary
The needs of people living with dementia with a ‘diverse’ cultural or faith background are not well represented in social care research in general, particularly in care homes where an estimated 70% of residents are living with dementia. Furthermore, the spiritual needs of older people often stay unrecognised, resulting in a double lack of recognition. Over the last 20 years, there has been more recognition of the dietary, spiritual and religious needs that are acceptable and accessible to older people from minority ethnic backgrounds in the UK. However, underfunding, a ‘fear of diminishment’, and a reluctance to use services due to a dissatisfaction with care, language barriers and fewer follow-up services have obstructed good dementia care for many minority older communities. There is evidence that spirituality and religion can help reduce or stabilise cognitive disorders or enable people to develop coping strategies to help accept a cognitive disorder, maintain relationships, hope, and find meaning in their lives, thus improving their sense of wellbeing.
Building on PhD findings exploring spirituality in residential care for older people, there is scope for evidence-based practice to support care homes in better meeting the spiritual needs and wishes of residents, particularly those living with dementia from minority cultural or faith backgrounds. The aim of this 2-year post-doctoral study is to understand how people living with dementia in care homes from different cultural and faith backgrounds can be best supported with their spiritual needs and whether previous developed reflective toolkits can aid in improving spiritual care for people living with dementia in care homes. Interviews with care home staff, managers, residents and their relatives/friends, and faith leaders will be conducted. The reflective tools will be further co-developed through stakeholder workshops and tested in care homes for its useability and inclusivity.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/WM/0200
Date of REC Opinion
10 Oct 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion