Social work practice and the spiritual needs and resources of elderly clients in extended care facilities
Date
1994
Authors
Tracy, Myrna
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Abstract
It is important to understand spiritual needs and resources of institutionalized elderly clients in an effort to provide holistic care.
In this study the research questions were:
1. Do social workers assess spiritual needs and resources of elderly clients ( 65 years and over) in an Extended Care setting?
2. If spiritual needs and resources are assessed, how are they assessed?
3. If this information is collected, what is done with it?
Spirituality was defined as an individual's meaning in life, their experience of forgiveness, and their experience of hope. This definition encompasses both religious, and nonreligious belief systems.
This study used two methodological approaches: l) an archival chart review of Extended Care residents' social histories, and 2) a qualitative descriptive design using face-to-face interviews with five social workers who wrote the social histories.
Social histories of fifty-three (n=53) residents in an Extended Care facility were reviewed using a chart review form. Five social workers who wrote the histories were interviewed using a structured interview with closed and openended questions.
Quantitative data from the review of social histories was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows (SPSS). Data obtained from interviews was recorded using a word processing program (Word Perfect 5.1). Themes were noted, and analyzed as units where common themes emerged.
The study found that social workers do collect some information in a social history format about a client's spirituality. However, this information is not thoroughly or consistently collected, and therefore is not methodically acted upon. Spiritual information was acted upon in a plan recorded in the social history only 42% of the time. Social workers routinely recorded the religious affiliation of the client ( 92%) • Social workers reported in interviews that information about a person's spirituality that was perceived to be more in-depth (i.e. internal resources, experience of hope and experience of forgiveness), was either not explored, or only discussed after a relationship had developed.
This research concludes that social workers need to collect information in a standardized way, and that they not only assess, but plan to meet spiritual needs and utilize resources.
Implications for practice were drawn from the conclusions. Social workers need to increase their awareness about the importance of clients' spirituality since elderly people state that spirituality is important to them. The practice of social work must include attention to the spiritual needs and resources of their clients so that this integral part of every person is acknowledged. Also, organizations need to implement a policy of spiritual assessment on admission.
Recommendations for future research were made. These recommendations include considering: a) the practice of social workers from a broader population (eg. different races, both sexes, and from different facilities); b) other variables such as the relationship between the informant and the client; c) whether the client is demented, and; d) social workers studied first of all design their own definition of spirituality.
It is important to understand spiritual needs and resources of institutionalized, elderly (65 years and over) clients in an effort to provide holistic care. An individual's spirituality is a source of strength which social workers do not identify or draw upon, and one which they may well want to draw on in the future.