Title: Bridging the Spiritual Gap: A Conversational Tool to Facilitate Culturally Appropriate Spiritual Needs Assessment with Older Adults
Stream: Aging and Gerontology
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Authors:
Terence Yow, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore
Tristan Gwee, Gerontological Society of Singapore, Singapore
Joseph Eio, FILOS Community Services, Singapore
Kim Meng Wang, Presbyterian Community Social Services, Singapore
Abstract:
While the Biopsychosocial-Spiritual (BPSS) model is a standard framework in gerontological social work, practitioners often report feeling unequipped to address the spiritual domain. This practice-based research, conducted with 13 practitioners from Presbyterian Community Services and FILOS, explored this gap. Two focus groups were held to investigate practitioners’ understanding of, and engagement with, spirituality in their senior clients. Practitioners expressed being unequipped to discuss spirituality, citing a lack of consistent understanding and culturally resonant tools. They highlighted that Western models often felt misaligned with local client beliefs, which integrate diverse religious and non-religious elements like ancestor veneration and familial piety. In response, we co-developed an innovative tool-kit featuring conversational cards (both online and physical). These cards are designed to be culturally nuanced, using open-ended questions to explore themes of meaning, hope, and connection without Western or religious bias. The cards are structured to help practitioners explore themes of meaning, hope, connection, and legacy with their senior clients. This tool is currently being piloted and validated with senior clients to ensure its cultural relevance and effectiveness. The goal is to disseminate this validated, culturally-sensitized resource to other agencies, empowering practitioners to provide more holistic and person-centered spiritual care.
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