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Spiritual Needs of Elderly

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Spiritual Needs in Research and Practice

Abstract

Existential or spiritual concerns are especially important for older people and those faced with their fragility and mortality. In most cases, the elderly have to deal with their worries and needs alone, as several perceive low interest in their concerns. This chapter describes which spiritual needs were of relevance for the elderly living in retirement homes, assisted living homes or nursing homes, and what may trigger these. Findings from studies among the elderly from Germany, Poland and Italy are discussed. There were similarities in specific unmet spiritual needs, and significant differences that refer particularly to Religious needs and Existential needs. The underlying causes are probably multifactorial and involve cultural and religious differences, on the one hand, and negative mood states, feelings of loneliness and perceived daily life affections (and thus low self-care abilities and independence), on the other hands. The loss of connectedness and involvement were identified as crucial, and thus support concepts could start with these topics. These should be suited to facilitating the elderly’s social participation and inclusion, on the one hand, and their independence and generative giving abilities, on the other hand, which would help to maintain feelings of meaningfulness and psychosocial and spiritual well-being.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Nora Beata Erichsen, Jülyet Öven Uslucan and Beta Mayr for their help in recruiting our participants in Germany, and to Karzyna Jagielska and Joanna M. Łukasik in Poland, and to Marco Calabrese in Italy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Professorship Quality of Life, Spirituality and Coping, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Herdecke, Germany

    Arndt Büssing

  2. IUNCTUS—Competence Center for Christian Spirituality, Philosophical-Theological University of Münster, Münster, Germany

    Arndt Büssing

  3. Rehabilitation Unit, ‘Mons. L. Novarese’ Hospital, Moncrivello, Vercelli, Italy

    Renata Spalek

  4. Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Center for Geriatric Medicine, Institute of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Catholic University of the Sacred Hearts, Rome, Italy

    Renata Spalek

  5. Chair of Social Pedagogy, Faculty of Social Sciences, Pedagogical University, Krakow, Poland

    Norbert Gerard Pikuła

  6. Research Unit Spiritual Care, Clinic and Policlinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Eckhard Frick

  7. Faculty of Philosophy and Education, Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, Germany

    Janusz Surzykiewicz

  8. Faculty of Education, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

    Janusz Surzykiewicz

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  1. Arndt Büssing
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  2. Renata Spalek
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  3. Norbert Gerard Pikuła
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  4. Eckhard Frick
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  5. Janusz Surzykiewicz
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Correspondence to Arndt Büssing .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Professorship Quality of Life, Spirituality and Coping, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Herdecke, Germany

    Arndt Büssing

  2. IUNCTUS—Competence Center for Christian Spirituality, Philosophical-Theological University of Münster, Münster, Germany

    Arndt Büssing

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Büssing, A., Spalek, R., Pikuła, N.G., Frick, E., Surzykiewicz, J. (2021). Spiritual Needs of Elderly. In: Büssing, A. (eds) Spiritual Needs in Research and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70139-0_26

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