Aging and Spirituality: Spiritual Dimensions of Aging Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy discusses spirituality, what it is and what it means, and how it affects the overall well-being of the aging and older population. Among other topics, this book provides: research data on spirituality, including findings on connections to physical and mental health; attitudes toward death and dying, and other life themes; and guidelines for professionals for integrating and assessing spirituality in practice settings, human services, and elder-related programs. This is a guide designed for...

This multidisciplinary work re-examines issues of aging with dignity and spiritual meaning. Aging, Spirituality, and Pastoral Care: A Multi-National Perspective brings together chaplains, pastors, counsellors, and health care practitioners in all walks of gerontology from around the world to present a fully rounded picture of the spiritual needs and potentialities of this fast-growing population. It also includes a study of the spiritual awareness of nurses working in six different nursing homes, as well as a model for a parish nursing practice that focuses on the aged. Aging, Spirituality,...

This book examines the ways religion and spirituality are experienced by aging persons within an aging society. It aims to encompass the wholeness of the elder's life, including spiritual yearnings that are often shaped by religious faith and practice. Eminent contributors from a variety of disciplines explore this new terrain of an emerging interdisciplinary field. The result is a volume that will function as the standard reference work in the area, an important tool for professionals and students in health care, psychology, spiritual ministry, and gerontology.

Although health and human service professionals traditionally receive extensive training in the emotional and physical aspects of caring for a person, they rarely receive adequate instruction in an area often as essential -- spirituality and religious belief. Recognizing the importance of religion to a large share of the population, Religious and Spiritual Aspects of Human Service Practice fills this gap in human services literature. James W. Ellor, F. Ellen Netting, and Jane M. Thibault address the challenge of understanding the client's perspective -- even when it involves a religious...

Since the 1971 White House Conference on Aging in the United States, the need to move from religiosity into new areas such as Spiritual Assessment and Spirituality has emerged. This movement has picked up momentum among scholars, particularly in terms of research in the area of Spirituality. While spirituality as a term is employed in many new studies, this term continues to defy the quest for a single definition and method. This book is divided into three sections. In the first the authors reflect on the philosophical and theological issues presented by these terms from a variety of both...