Religion/spirituality and health among elderly African Americans and Hispanics.

1 It is important to view elders in a multicultural sense and also understand that there may be great heterogeneity within cultural or ethnic groups. 2 Knowledge of the impact of religion and spiritual beliefs for ethnic groups can help health care professionals design interventions that are culture-specific to the beliefs of individuals. 3 The psychiatric nurse is in a unique position to encourage the patient to use healthy religious practices to deal with their illness, whether mental or physical.