Tending the soul as well as the body: spiritual care in nursing and residential homes.

This article reports findings from a study in the UK which investigated the perceptions and practice of spiritual care in care homes for older people. Over 1500 homes were sent a postal questionnaire and a response rate of 42% was achieved. Home managers were found to have a broad understanding of spiritual care, according a spiritual dimension to a range of tasks that were social and emotional in nature. Most managers felt that responsibility for providing spiritual care lay with the home itself, rather than other parties, although concerns were expressed over the ability of some staff to deliver this care. Many homes had input from religious providers via regular services and visiting personnel. There was a perception of a heightened level of spiritual need for dying residents, although it is suggested that physical pain continues to dominate the focus of care at this stage.