Learning Objective #1: gain an understanding of spirituality and spiritual engagement. | |||
Learning Objective #2: gain insight as to how spiritual care and support might be better provided. |
The purpose of this research is to examine how palliative care clients and caregivers engage in spiritual matters and how this engagement may enrich quality of life. Gaining a deeper understanding of spiritual issues is paramount for assisting people with quality of life matters and this research stands to uncover personal perspectives from individuals experiencing end-of-life issues, providing insights as to better offer spiritual care and support for them. Moreover, the research stands to contribute to evidence-based practice in the area of palliative care.
The research takes a phenomenological approach to interpret participants’ narratives in order to understand their lived experience in framing spirituality and how they engage with spiritual matters. A purposive sample of twelve participants was used for the interviews. Their responses comprise the data, which were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Using Heideggerian phenomenology as the philosophical framework, the data were analysed and some of the findings of this research will be presented at the congress. Important insights gained from this research will be shared with participants, which will be of particular interest to health professionals.