Spirituality and Aging (review)

Review of Robert C. Atchley \u27Spirituality and Aging.\u2

Spirituality, Religion, and Aging Illuminations for Therapeutic Practice

This highly integrative book was written for students, professionals in aging, ministers, and older adults themselves. Readers will gain the knowledge and skills they need to assess, engage, and address the spiritual and religious needs of older persons. Taking a fresh approach that breaks new ground in the field, the author discusses eight major world religions and covers values and ethics, theories, interventions, health and caregiving, depression and anxiety, dementia, and the end of life. Meditations and exercises throughout the book allow readers to expand and explore their personal understanding of spirituality. Referencing the latest research, the book includes assessments and skill-based tools designed to help practitioners enhance the mental health of older people.https://ecommons.luc.edu/facultybooks/1125/thumbnail.jp

Korean Older Intimate Partner Violence Survivors in North America: Cultural Considerations and Practice Recommendations

While literature on elder abuse has expanded, elder abuse by intimate partners has been less investigated. Even less is known about intimate partner violence among older Koreans living in North America. This article identifies important cultural considerations for individuals helping the Korean older adult community beginning with the definition of intimate partner violence in this community and barriers to leaving that include traditional views of the East Asian self. Current practice interventions are discussed and recommendations for future practice such as healing han, the accumulated suffering from years of abuse, are suggested. The ultimate goal of this paper is to expand awareness in order to develop the best culturally competent prevention and intervention practice for Korean older intimate partner violence survivors in North America

Spirituality and Aging in Social Work: State of the Art and Future Possibilities

This article identifies the unique contributions social work has made to the study of spirituality and religion in relation to aging, based on respect for their diverse expressions. Definitions of religion and spirituality that particularly relate to late life are provided. The study of spirituality and aging is situated in four historical phases ranging from sectarian origins (1890s to 1920), to professionalization and secularization (1920s-1970s), to renewed interest (1980s to mid 1990s), to the current phase characterized by transcending boundaries. Interdisciplinary research by social workers is prevalent. Topics of study include a wide range of religious and nonreligious spiritual perspectives, cultural groups and life domains. There is an expansion of interest in international research and collaboration on spirituality and aging as well. Future research possibilities include functions of religion and spirituality for older adults, spirituality in relation to professional direct practice, professional ethics, macro level social work, and public policy. The state of the art provides a foundation for future expansion in detail and depth of studies on these topics as well as for greater refinement of relevant theory and methodologies for inquiry

Improving student writing: working in partnership to develop the Student Academic Literacy Tool (SALT)

Developing an effective academic writing style can be a crucial determinant for degree success in undergraduate programmes which rely almost exclusively on written assessments to measure academic ability. The SALT project has brought together academic staff and students to develop an accessible and useful tool to enable students to recognise the characteristics of academic writing which need to be developed in order to be successful in written assessments. Crucial to the success of the project so far has been the involvement of student research partners as co-creators and owners of the tool. This report describes the development of the project and presents a model of partnership working in academic research which recognises the importance of students as owners of co-created research outputs and intellectual property

Wisdom-bearers and Story-tellers: Older Adults as Guides and Friends

This narrative recounts the author\u27s discovery that her primary pathway to service was in working with older adults. Embedded in this process were separate but related journeys of coming to terms with a spiritual call and learning how her affinity for languages and cultures could support a contribution in aging

Embedding equality in staff student research partnerships – co creating an academic writing tool

The Student's Academic Literacy Tool (SALT) project has brought together academic staff and students to develop an accessible and useful tool to enable students to recognise the characteristics of academic writing which need to be developed in order to be successful in written assessments. Crucial to the success of the project so far has been the involvement of student research partners, who teamed up as co-creators and owners of the tool around 18 months ago (Becker, Kennedy, Shahverdi & Spence, 2015). The project initially received £3,650 from Teesside University Learning and Teaching fund to create and user test the SALT in booklet format. The project was also designed to provide student researchers with opportunities to present at regional conferences and collaborate with national organisations as well as experience the research publishing and dissemination process. Since its dissemination, interest in SALT has grown through a series of successful publications, conference presentations, and national media coverage following the team's success in winning the Joint Information Systems Council Summer of Student Ideas competition 2015. This has led to the Student's Academic Literacy Tool being used across a number of Science and Technology disciplines at Teesside University and in addition it is being used in a number of other Universities across the U.K. With the support of JISC a mobile application of the tool has recently been launched and the project is now overseen by a steering committee which includes members of the original team and continues to provide opportunities for current students to engage in ongoing evaluation and enhancement projects. The launch of the mobile application also provides ongoing opportunities for students to engage in work around developing additional features and ancillary content as well as engaging with industry to develop partnerships to maintain and extend the functionality of the application

Teaching Spirituality in the Classroom: Building Compassionate and Non-judgmental Conversations with Students

This narrative describes the experiences of three social work professors whose lifelong interest in the spiritual realm guided their presentation of material in the classroom that engaged conversation about spiritual and religious beliefs. Specific skills for students to understand and work with their own spiritually and that of clients are reviewed