The Challenge of Maintaining Spiritual Connectedness for Persons Institutionalized with Dementia

ABSTRACT

Persons with dementia who reside in long term care facilities continue to have spiritual needs, but providing for these needs presents many challenges. Encouraging, fostering and maintaining spiritual connectedness is crucial to providing for a high quality of life. Memory, grief and mourning, care planning, communication, and education of caregivers are discussed within the context of a working application of spiritual well-being. Practical ways to deal with some of the dilemmas for the individual person with dementia, his or her family, support network, and the religious community are addressed.