End of Life Care | Spiritual care | Spirituality in the community

Spirituality in the community
Session overview
Description
This session explores how collaboration with the local community can help services ensure that spiritual care reaches all the people in end of life care who could benefit from it.

This session was reviewed by Rebecca Whiting and Sarah Hanrott and last updated in June 2023.

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• describe the range of spiritual resources embedded in the community, including community organisations, groups and faith communities
• explain how these resources might be harnessed to enhance end of life care in community, residential, inpatient and outpatient settings
• identify cultural aspects of spiritual care provision and appropriate responses for the worker
• give examples of how spiritual care can be facilitated by collaborating with the community

Before commencing this session may wish to complete:

• Assessment of spiritual wellbeing (215-0207)
• Why me? Discussing spiritual distress (215-0329)
• Spirituality and the philosophy of end-of-life care (215-0801)
• Understanding and assessing spiritual need and spiritual distress (215-0802)
• Spiritual care and models of spiritual intervention (215-0803)
• Spiritual resources and quality of life (215-0804)
• Spirituality and the multidisciplinary team (215-0805)

The majority of spiritual care for people in end of life care is provided in the community, by spiritual leaders and members of faith and community groups, as well as by family members, friends and neighbours. Health and social care services can harness and build on these resources by 'sharing' spiritual care, which connects people in end of life care to the communities in which they live.

In this session, we examine the ingredients of successful collaboration and practical ways to engage with the community in the provision of spiritual care. It includes examples of holistic palliative care in practice in multidisciplinary teams.