This book addresses important issues of ageing and spirituality and reflects on the impact of culture on both constructs. The papers are contemporary in that they include excerpts of cultural impact on spirituality from New Zealand, Singapore, India, United Kingdom, Australia and the United States.
This book marks almost 20 years of international conferences on ageing and spirituality that commenced in January 2000. It opens the conversation to all who were part of this journey of ageing, including older people, practitioners in ageing and aged care, researchers, and those who reflect on the process of growing older. Chapters feature diverse perspectives, highlighting the need for inclusivity in conversations that surround ageing and recognize how development of cultures is influenced by the society where they emerge, and by minority groups within larger society. Chapters also note the occurrence of subcultures of ageing and aged care. The conference was held shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the chapters being written often during times of lockdown. Their content reflects the importance of spirituality in times of isolation and can show ways of reaching out to vulnerable older people, of various faiths and cultures, whatever their situations.
Changing Cultures of Ageing and Spirituality will be a key resource for academics, researchers, and advanced students of Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies, Gerontology, Sociology, Psychology, Mental Health, and Nursing. The chapters included in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging.
Introduction: changing cultures of ageing and spirituality A word from the editor 1. This mortal life: ageing and spirituality after the Great Transition 2. A framework for understanding spirituality and healthy ageing: perspectives from Aotearoa New Zealand 3. Spirituality: The Hindu perspective from a gerontologist’s viewpoint 4. The Mindful Way of Falun Gong for graceful and positive aging 5. Spiritual inclusiveness at end-of-life for Punjabi Indians: experience with Regional Residential Aged Care Facilities 6. Re-imagining personhood: dementia, culture and citizenship 7. Breaking bread: a dementia awareness café – a theatre installation for dementia awareness 8. Respite ministry fills a gap in dementia care 9. Corporate worship for people with dementia: rituals and sensory stimulation 10. What ritual teaches about life transitions, identity and ageing 11. Ageing and frailty: a spiritual perspective of the lived experience
Elizabeth MacKinlay, AM, PhD, MEd, FACN, is a Registered Nurse and Priest in the Anglican Church of Australia, Inaugural Director of the Centre for Ageing and Pastoral Studies (CAPS) until 2012. She is an Adjunct Research Professor. Since 2020 Elizabeth has been Director of CAPS in the Austrualian Centre for Christianity and Culture at Charles Sturt University, Australia. Ann Harrington, RN, PhD FACN, is a Registered Nurse with 40 years’ experience in ageing, palliative care, and spirituality. She has held academic positions in two universities over 40 years and currently is Associate Director of the Centre for Ageing and Pastoral Studies and Adjunct Research Professor, Charles Sturt University, Australia.
