Advanced Nursing and Nursing Practice

Biography

Biography: Salma Al Yazeed

Abstract

Recently, there has been a great focus on spirituality and spiritual care. However, the potential impact on terminally ill elderly at end of life and palliative care remains unaddressed. The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesize publications that addressed the effect of spirituality and spiritual care, particularly at palliative care and end of life. It also highlights the role of palliative health care providers and reviews measures that enable them to effectively address the spiritual needs of critically ill elderly. Research was conducted through Pubmed and PsychINFO databases. The search was specified for the period between 2005 and 2016, using the key terms “spiritual care,” “spirituality,” “elderly,” “senior adults,” “palliative care,” and “end of life.” The inclusion criteria for studies selection were applied included: a) articles published in English language, b) studies' participants aged 50 years and more, and c) articles should be relevant to the addressed concepts. A total of 64 articles were retrieved from the two databases and18 duplicated articles were eliminated. Titles and abstracts of 46 publications were reviewed, and 22 were eliminated for irrelevancy.  The remaining 24 articles were reviewed comprehensively and eight were excluded. 16 articles were retained for final review, which found to be relevant to the inclusion criteria. The findings from this systematic review prove that spirituality positively enhances the well-being of senior adults, supports them to cope with the catastrophes, and adjusts well in their lives. Palliative health care providers obviously play an essential role in meeting the spiritual needs of critically ill elderly. Addressing practical strategies to increase their awareness, knowledge, and skills regarding spirituality will effectively enhance delivery of efficient spiritual care.