Spirituality and faith in dementia

Abstract

This study used a standardized instrument, the Royal Free Interview for Religious and Spiritual Beliefs, to investigate the spirituality of a population of people with dementia who scored 12 or more on the Mini Mental State Examination and their carers, who were attending a West Midlands Memory Clinic. Study patients were more likely to be well preserved cognitively, be female, and to be living with their spouse at home, than the clinic population as a whole. The population was predominantly white British and Christian. Both patients and carers found the Royal Free Interview acceptable: they rated their beliefs as strong and considered practices associated with their beliefs to be very important. Both groups described spirituality as evident in everyday experiences and as supportive in relation to life stresses. Service providers should integrate questions about spirituality and faith into routine assessments and structure care plans to accommodate identified spiritual needs.