Asking questions pertinent to spiritual needs makes residents feel welcome to share their spiritual side. How a person chooses to live life is reflective of the spirit that lies within. By using an assessment tool to gather data, caregivers can build a care plan upon the experiences the resident values most and wishes to retain. Once the caregiver has completed the resident interview, information from the spiritual assessment tool is incorporated into the individual's care plan. A resident with Alzheimer's disease for whom evening prayer had been a ritual can be guided by staff each evening in this routine.
Staff can assist family members to record familiar prayers for playing to their loved ones.
Furthermore, resident prayer and hymn requests can be incorporated into a weekly nondenominational service. If the assessment shows the resident is experiencing spiritual distress, care plan approaches may include pastoral counseling, psychotherapy intervention, and medication regimen evaluation. But caregivers should not assume that residents' feelings will remain static. Entering a nursing facility does not mean a person stops growing and changing. Residents often reevaluate and change what they value.