Religious Literacy in Hospice Care Challenges and Controversies

This is the first book to explore how religion, belief and spirituality are negotiated in hospice care. Specifically, it considers the significant place that spiritual care has in hospice care and claims that the changing role of religion and belief in society highlights the need to re-examine how such identities are integrated in professional practice.

Using religious literacy as a framework, the author explores how healthcare professionals in hospice care respond to religion, belief and spiritual identities of service users. Part 1 provides a comprehensive account of the content and history of the place of religion, belief and spirituality in hospice care. Part 2 examines how these topics are negotiated in hospice care by looking at three key areas: environment, professional practice and organisation. Part 3 proposes a religious literacy model applicable to hospice care and explores implications for practice and policy. Lastly, the author identifies future trends in research, policy and practice.

Drawing on a range of theories and concepts and proposing a working model that can impact the training of future and current professionals, Religious Literary in Hospice Care should be considered essential reading for students, researchers and practitioners.

List of figures

List of tables

Acknowledgements

List of abbreviations

Introduction

Conversations about death

Spiritual care

Introducing this book

Overview of the chapters

References

PART I

Hospice care and changing religious landscape

1 Religion, belief and spirituality in hospice care

Introduction

Hospice movement

Spirituality and hospice care

The spiritual dimension of modern hospice care

In summary

References

2 Religion and belief: A changing landscape

Introduction

Migration

Religious plurality and diversification

Religious decline, secularisation and desecularisation

Secularisation and professional practise

Implications of religious plurality

References

3 Tracing religion in health and death policy

Introduction

What policy says about religion and belief in dying

Religion and belief in healthcare: A new design

Concluding thoughts

References

PART II

Negotiating belief in hospice care

4 Belief in the space

Introduction

Religion and materiality

Religion and belief in the space

Concluding thoughts

References

5 Hospice professionals and religion

Introduction

Separating religion from spirituality

The role of religion in society

Religion, belief, spirituality and dying

The role of religion, belief and spirituality for service users

References

6 Hospice professionals and religious literacy

Introduction

Knowledge and understanding of religion and belief

Skills and abilities to engage with religion and belief

References

7 Integrating religion and belief in hospice care

Introduction

Death and health policies

Assessments

Neutral spaces

Religious networking

Commemorative practises

Concluding thoughts

References

PART III

Religious literacy in hospice care

8 Religious literacy in hospice care

Introduction

Religious literacy in hospice care

Religious literacy model for hospice care

Concluding note

References

Conclusions

Implications for social policy

Implications for professional practise

Final thoughts

References

Index

Panagiotis Pentaris is a Senior Lecturer for the Department of Psychology, Social Work and Counselling at the University of Greenwich. He is also a Postdoc Research Fellow for the Faiths & Civil Society Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London. Panagiotis is a thanatologist, as well as a qualified social worker with specialty in hospice social work and clinical social work in end of life care. His research stretches from death policies to professional practice, and he has researched extensively about religion, belief and spirituality in end of life care.