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Spiritual Dimension of Healthy Aging

Spiritual Dimension of Healthy Aging. St. Louis Times Geriatrics Symposium Healthy Aging: Health Promotion & Disease Prevention. Objectives. To explore together what is spirituality To appreciate the value of a bio-psycho-social-spiritual approach to aging

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Spiritual Dimension of Healthy Aging

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  1. Spiritual Dimension of Healthy Aging St. Louis Times Geriatrics Symposium Healthy Aging: Health Promotion & Disease Prevention

  2. Objectives • To explore together what is spirituality • To appreciate the value of a bio-psycho-social-spiritual approach to aging • To encourage integration of spirituality into healthcare assessment & treatment

  3. Non-Binary Approach to understanding Spirituality At what point is someone • “Spiritual or not Spiritual?” • “Religious or not Religious?” • “Healthy or not Healthy?” • “Young or Old?”

  4. Who has the authority to define spirituality • Religion • Medicine • Law • Science • Families • Individuals • Other

  5. Popular Myths about Spirituality • Myths about aging and spirituality are rooted in the institutions that define health. • Dominant western perception of spirituality is that it is all about religion • Tendency to measure healthy aging only from a biological perspective.

  6. Who Decides??? • What are sources of knowledge & truth in the patient’s life? • Identify the institutions (family, career, religion, government, etc.) that assign credence and credibility to • The patient’s spiritual experiences • The patient’s health & age status.

  7. Working description of Spirituality • That which connects us to : • Self • Others • Purpose in Life • In meaningful, creative and responsible ways • Relationship model

  8. How do we measure healthy aging from a spiritual perspective? • Key features: • Religious history • Religious identity • What is meaningful for this person • What keeps this person connected to: self, others, purpose in life

  9. What matters in healthy aging? • Recognizing multiple sources of truth • Identifying who has credibility and authority in the patient’s life • Employing bio-psycho-social-spiritual approaches • Embracing the dignity/value of each person’ s beliefs • Respecting what is meaningful to the patient

  10. Literature Review • Koenig, McCullough, & Larson (2001) analyzed the data findings from 850 studies that correlate the benefits of religion upon health • Payne, Bergin, Bielema, & Jenkins (1991) are more cautious with these conclusions noting that researchers measure religious identity and activities in a variety of ways and no uniform tool for such measurements exist. • Yet most scholars agree that religion and spirituality become increasingly important in old age, especially following trauma producing events (Bianchi, 1984; Koenig, 2000; Moberg, 1971; 1979; 1990; Stokes, 1990; Schultz-Hipp, 2001). • Research has shown that the levels of religious beliefs, behavior, and experiences that reflect the positive influences of spirituality increase with age (Kimble, McFadden, Ellor, Seeber, 1995; Koenig, 1995; 1997; Ferraro, 1997; Koenig, McCullough, Larson, 2000; Seeber, 2004).

  11. Discussion • How am I sensitive to the spiritual dimension of our patients? • What do I do with information from a spiritual assessment? • Implications for healthy aging…

  12. Contact Information • Gary U. Behrman, PhD, MSW, M.Div. • gbehrman@lindenwood.edu • 636-949-4715 • Birkenmaier, J.M., Behrman, G. & Berg-Weger, M. (2005) Integrating curriculum and practice with students and their field supervisors: The reflections on spirituality and aging (ROSA) model. Educational Gerontology: An International Journal Vol 31.No 10.

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