Editor—We were glad that Ellershaw and Ward emphasised the importance of spiritual care in assuring a good death—an area of care that, we believe, is usually overlooked.1
Figure 1.
Native Death Dance, Alice Springs, circa 1920, photo by Sir John Newlands
Credit: NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA
The results of our local survey of the views of elderly patients with mental health problems and their carers on spiritual care were in keeping with the above idea.
Moreover, they indicated that this type of care should be considered and provided sooner rather than later. Unlike physical care, spiritual care needs a lot of preparatory work for proper assessment and for the relevant needs to be tailored to suit individual patients in the context of their religious and cultural background.
Patients emphasised that spiritual care becomes more relevant as one approaches the end. One patient said: “As you are approaching death, you need to know that you are going to the right place.” One of the common themes was the importance of offering this type of care to all elderly patients but never to impose it.
Training needs were addressed, although poorly defined. We think that building some form of basic skills and knowledge for all professionals in this field, along with developing a specialised area for interested staff, might be the way forward.
Competing interests: None declared.
References
- 1.Ellershaw J, Ward C. Caring for the dying patient: the last hours and days of life [with commentary by J Neuberger]. BMJ 2003:326: 30-4. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]