April 2026 The Value of Understanding Spirituality

“The Importance of Spiritual Health for Those Living with Dementia” 

As we enter April and with the arrival of Spring and Easter it is a good time to ponder how to include our person living with dementia in celebrations.  

To do that effectively we need to understand how our person living with dementia has been celebrating important religious holidays in the past. 

Recent studies have found that those living with dementia are not adequately supported with access to spiritual and religious resources. 

Measures of religion and spirituality in dementia: An integrative review - PMC 

“Because of their diminished cognitive capacity, persons with dementia (PWDs) often rely on others to support their identity (personhood) and spiritual well‐being. 10 Managing distress in this population is important; however, findings indicate an absence (or minimal presence) of spiritual care in clinical practice guidelines for dementia care 11 and a lack of religious and spiritual support at end of life, 12 , 13 such that PWDs are at risk of not having their religious and spiritual needs met” 

Part of a holistic approach to dementia care is understanding a person's religious background and the importance of religion and adherence to traditions for them as individuals.  

This is an often-overlooked pillar of quality of life that can bring immense joy and connection if introduced appropriately and with sensitivity. 

 For example, Christians (this includes Catholicism and traditional denominations) follow the secular calendar for celebrating the crucifixion on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter Sunday.  

More conservative denominations (and pending the culture of origin) may be offended by easter bunnies and eggs associated with the Western Easter. 

 On the other hand, Judaism (including Messianic Jews and Orthodox Jews) follows the Biblical historical calendar and celebrates Passover for one week and it doesn't necessarily coincide with Christian Easter.  

Muslims follow the lunar Islamic calendar and do not partake in Easter. 

 Hinduism celebrates spring as " Holi" (the spring festival of colors) while Buddhism follows their own traditional celebrations, and this may differ depending on the cultural origin or country of origin for ex.  China vs Japan vs Korea. 

Some questions to consider for someone living with dementia and/or their CG: 

• Is your faith/religion important to you?   

(If answered “No” you need not to pursue this specific pilar of wellness) 

If answered “YES” you can ask further discovery questions such as: 

• Which religion/faith do you identify with? 

• Did you or do you go to church? 

• Is there members of your faith family you still have a connection with? 

• What does support from your faith family look like? 

• Which church did you attend? 

• Which religious practices do you value/enjoy most? 

• Is there certain religious music you enjoy? 

• Do you practice your religion daily, weekly or monthly? 

• What do your religious practices look like? 

• Do you often read religious works? (Bible/Koran/Morman Bible etc.) 

• Would you like a visiting pastor/preacher/elder/member of your community to come visit you? 

If your person living with dementia is unable to answer these questions you may want to direct the question to family members or close friends to have better insight in their believe system.  

(These believe systems may even impact their meal preparation; preferences and personal hygiene rituals.) 

Consider using the Botes Quality of Life Tool: BQOLT to understand the impact of loss of connection and to apply appropriate solutions.