(Tao Te Ching) Victor Frankl: "He who has a Why can bear - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

We join spokes together in a wheel, but it is the centre hole that makes the wagon move. We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want. We hammer wood for a house, but it is the inner space that makes it liveable We work with being, but non-being is what we use. (Tao Te Ching)

Victor Frankl: "He who has a Why can bear almost any How"

Outline

• Background & Rationale
• My Study
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusion

First things first: What is spirituality?

• Spirituality is a multi-dimensional and complex concept. In

addition, there appears to be little consensus on the definition of this term (Ho, 2010; Moberg, 2008). Therefore, this dissertation will adopt a broad definition of spirituality which consists of four main themes emphasising a) the essence of being b) the meaning of life c) existential values d) the connection with a higher power/God, with others and with the universe.

Religion and Spirituality are different concepts for different people

• ‘Religiosity’ is related

to the institution of religion, referring to the knowledge, feelings, practices and beliefs of people.

Is it really that important to study spirituality in older men?

• Lack of research
• As one ages, “being” may become more

significant that “doing”.

• A man, who has spent his life working to provide

for a family, being the handyman around the house, and going from task to task, may find this particularly difficult.

• The retirement effect
• Masculine Identity

Global Statistics by Age and Gender World Health Organisation (2000)

Suicide in Later Life by Gender

Why am I studying spirituality through health science?

If suicide stats aren’t enough to convince you...

• Amendment of the WHO definition of health
• Whole person/patient centred care.

“Physical disease may cause difficulty breathing, which is exacerbated by social circumstances as well as feelings of anxiety; but the difficult experience will also be affected by the individual’s sense of hope or awareness of support….how much worse difficulty in breathing will feel if there is no hope of treatment..” (White, 2006, p.26).

How do older men view spirituality and do they see this interacting with their health and well-being? General Literature Review Systematic Review 6 one-on-one semi-structured interviews

My Research

Methodology

• Qualitative, phenomenological research
• Constructivist position: describes and interprets patterns of

meaning in their natural contexts.

• Design and method centred upon individual interviews, with

narrative providing the framework for data collection

• Employs a general inductive approach (Thomas, 2006), for data

analysis

• The importance of considering my role as the researcher

Interviews

• WHO: Older men, aged over 65 years. Living in independent

living of an aged care facility (Selwyn Foundation).

• WHERE: Two large aged care residential villages in

Auckland

• RECRUITMENT: Purposive sampling, then random selection.

Selwyn Foundation staff made first contact.

• HOW: in the men’s homes or in a meeting room at the

village; approximately 1-1.5 hrs. long

i). The Meaning of Spirituality

• definition
• spiritual experiences
• interpretations of spirituality

ii). The Meaning and Significance of Spirituality

• within their family
• as an individual
• in relationships
• in everyday life
• significant moments

iii). The Effect of Spirituality

• on health and well-being?

iv). Views on Spirituality

• have these views changed or changing
• influencing factors on these views
• reasons for change

v). Inadequate spirituality

• anything missing from spiritual life
• what has been lost spiritually
• could anything be improved in life

spiritually vi). Spiritual Challenges

• what challenges your spirituality?
• have there been any particular

experiences, relationships or times in life that your spiritual life was challenged? vii). Spirituality and Religion

• what do you regard as the

relationship between spirituality and religion?

• is there a difference between the

two for you?

• in what instances would you feel

spiritual but not religious, or vice versa?

Results: preliminary findings

• Large variation in defining

spirituality between men

• ‘spirituality’ being a new

age concept that wasn’t about in ‘their day’

• Spirituality became more

important once retired

• While, some men didn’t

agree with the Church, went to services anyway for personal reflection (or because their wife made them)

• All considered spirituality to

play a vital role in their health and saw it as having a positive effect

• Spirituality and religion

were often considered as the same concept. Mutually exclusive.

• Occupation, and connection

with the environment played a role in defining spirituality

Strengths and Limitations

• Strengths:
• systematic review had not been conducted

before.

• first study on healthy, older men
• NZ’s growing interest in the topic
• Limitations:
• researcher bias
• small sample size
• setting
• generalisability of results

Where to next?

• Currently conducting

data analysis

• Aim to publish results
• A new website:

spirituality in healthcare NZ