Understanding the Diverse Forms of Spiritual Expression of Older People in Residential Aged Care in Australia.

The ability of older people to express their spirituality is an important component of aged care. Spirituality is not specifically religiousness although, for some, religion offers a means for spiritual expression. This paper aimed to explore what constitutes spiritual life for residents in three residential aged care facilities in South Australia. The findings of the research demonstrated that the majority of older resident participants defined spirituality as 'connection/s'. Three unexpected results of the study became obvious during analysis, reported here as 'loss', 'adaptation' and 'they're busy'. It is offered here that these adjustments enabled participants to compensate for their losses.