Meeting the spiritual needs of people with an intellectual disability: A holistic view

1. Meeting the spiritual needs of people with an intellectual disability: A holistic view Maisie Buchanan

2. What is spirituality? Transcendence • •Often associated with religion but has a more complex meaning in reality (Morgan, 2004) • •Thought to be ever-present, whether we acknowledge it or not (McSherry, 2006) • Swinton (2002) discovered that spirituality is ‘felt’ rather than ‘explained’. • •Multi-dimensional model: • ◦Belief in a higher being • ◦Hope, comfort and purpose in life • ◦How we connect to self and others Connectivity Purpose and meaning

3. Passage from: O’Brien, M. (2008) Spirituality in nursing: Standing on Holy Ground. 6th Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning: London. pp. 167.

4. Why is spirituality important in learning disability care? • Spirituality is considered essential to the holistic care model but nurses and other professionals are often unsure how to provide this • Koenig (2009) theorised that spirituality can be used as a coping strategy for people with mental health conditions • The sense of community and hope provided by spiritual involvement and community aids recoveryand gives a sense of belonging to people who are isolated • Helps build the nurse-patient relationship and provide more tailored, personalised care; mutually beneficial to both service user and nurse through a sense of connexion and shared compassion (O’Brien, 2008) • Being aware of own spiritual needs helps professionals to become more sensitive to the holistic person, and to reflect more fully upon the emotional aspect of nursing care, providing a valuable coping strategy.

5. How can future practice be improved? • It has been found that people often do not feel that spirituality is ‘relevant’ to people with a learning disability due to it being a difficult concept to rationalise/quantify and therefore understand. • Professionals may also shy away from addressing spiritual needs due to lack of knowledge of the subject or fear of causing offence. • Faith communities may find it difficult to accept people with learning disabilities into the group/services • Speak with Chaplaincy! Use as part of an MDT when discussing spiritual needs of a service user. • Don’t be afraid to ask questions or have conversations about spiritual issues with service users. • Reflective supervision-style groups for spiritual development

6. References and articles of interest • Goldberg, B. (1998) ‘Connection: an exploration of spirituality in nursing care.’ Journal of Advanced Nursing, 27(4), pp.836-842. [Online]. Available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com. (Accessed 25.09.17). • Koenig, H. (2009) ‘Research on Religion, Spirituality, and Mental Health: A Review’. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 54(5), pp. 283 - 291. [Online]. Available at http://journals.sagepub.com/. (Accessed 20.01.18). • McSherry, W. (2006) (ed.) Making Sense of Spirituality in Nursing and Health Care Practice: an Interactive Approach. 2nd Edition. Jessica Kingsley Publishers: London. • Morad, M., Nasri, M., Merrick, J. (2001) ‘Islam and the Person with Intellectual Disability’. Journal of Religion, Disability & Health, 5(3), pp. 65-71. [Online]. Available at http://www.tandfonline.com/. (Accessed 21.02.18). • Morgan, H. (2004) ‘Spiritual healing: the spiritual needs of people with a learning disability have been sadly neglected by services and this has contributed to exclusion from other areas in life. Hazel Morgan explains why healthcare professionals must wake up to this other dimension.’ Learning Disability Practice, 7(5), pp.8-9. [Online]. Available at http://journals.rcni.com/. (Accessed 16.11.17). • O’Brien, M. (2008) Spirituality in nursing: Standing on Holy Ground. 6th Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning: London. • Raji, O. (2009) ‘Intellectual Disability’ in Cook, C., Powell, A., Sims, A. (eds.) Spirituality and Psychiatry. London: Royal College of Psychiatrists Publications. pp. 122-138. • Read, S. (2006) (ed.) Palliative Care for People with Learning Disabilities. London: Quay Books. • Royal College of Nursing (2010) Spirituality Survey. [Online]. Available at https://www.rcn.org.uk/. (Accessed 20.01.18). • Sango, P., Forrester-Jones, R. (2017a) ‘Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Spirituality and Religion: A Systematic Review 1990–2015.’ Journal of Disability & Religion, 21(3), pp.280-295. [Online]. Available at http://www.tandfonline.com/. (Accessed 28.12.17). • Sango, P., Forrester-Jones, R. (2017b) ‘Spiritual care for people with intellectual and developmental disability: An exploratory study.’ Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 21(3), pp. 1-11. [Online]. Available at http://www.tandfonline.com/. (Accessed 28.12.17). • Swinton, J. (2002) ‘Spirituality and the lives of people with learning disabilities.’ Tizard Learning Disability Review, 7(4), pp.29-35. [Online]. Available at https://www.researchgate.net/. (Accessed 16.11.17). • Turner, S., Hatton, C., Shah, R., Stansfield, J., Rahim, N. (2004) ‘Religious expression amongst adults with intellectual disabilities.’ Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 17(3), pp.161-171. [Online]. Available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/. (Accessed 21.02.18). • Vogel, J., Polloway, E., Smith, J. (2006) ‘Inclusion of people with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities in communities of faith.’ Mental Retardation, 44(2), pp.100-111. [Online]. Available at http://www.aaiddjournals.org/. (Accessed 20.02.18). • Watts, G. (2011) ‘Intellectual disability and spiritual development.’ Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 36(4), pp.238-245. [Online]. Available at http://www.tandfonline.com/. (Accessed 17.01.17).