Abstract
Dementia is a clinical and social condition that has become a concern for many countries. Functional and cognitive decline, dependence on self-care, loss of verbal communication capacity and reduced interaction with the environment can appear in moderate or advanced stages. Evidence-based studies suggest that with people with dementia professionals and caregivers should invest in holistic care that promotes comfort and preserves the person’s dignity. Sensory interventions fulfill this objective. The aim of this chapter is to summarize the results of a study that assessed spiritual needs in a sample of people with dementia in Portugal, using for data collection the Portuguese version of SpNQ. People can seek spirituality as a way of dealing with dementia, minimizing suffering, dealing with deficits or even maintaining hope. Spirituality can be relevant to promote comfort in people with dementia but also be seen as a therapeutic intervention, like other sensory interventions that contribute to delaying cognitive decline, maintaining interaction with the environment and, at certain times, recovering even if momentarily.
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Abreu, W.C.d., Abreu, M., Büssing, A. (2021). Spiritual Needs in People with Mild to Moderate Dementia. In: Büssing, A. (eds) Spiritual Needs in Research and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70139-0_16
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