EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPIRITUALITY AND RESILIENCE IN LATER LIFE

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based upon material published in the Quality Health Research and is available as an open access article at the National Institute of Health. ABSTRACT Research suggests that spirituality is important to a large percentage of the older adult population and serves as a promoter of healthy aging. In this qualitative research I conducted and analyzed multiple interviews with 6 women aged 80 and older. Using multiple in-depth interviews I explored the interplay between spirituality and resilience over the life course. A grounded theory analysis of the 30 interviews was performed. The major finding is that participants used their spirituality as a tool to promote and maintain resilience in later life. I present the results as an interpretation of the participants’ perceptions of their spirituality, and indicate their reliance on spirituality to overcome hardship over the life course. In addition, I discuss the connections between spirituality and resilience. The roles these two constructs play in the lives of older adults are considered. This course on aging and the relationship between spirituality and resilience is designed for clinical social workers, psychologists, nurses, and professional counselors who do clinical work. This course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their understanding of the factors that impact aging. The course is a research report and as such contains statistical analysis and data which some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. One of the benefits of reading research based articles for continuing education is that it allows the practitioner to keep current on the latest findings in their field. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require clinical continuing education courses for license renewal. Author: Manning Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding the relationship between resilience in later life and spirituality. Specifically, a professional will: · Describe resilience in later life and the benefits it may provide. · Identify the relationship between resilience and spirituality. · Identify connections between the constructs of resilience and spirituality. Citation: Manning. (2013). Navigating Hardships in Old Age: Exploring the Relationship Between Spirituality and Resilience in Later Life. Qual Health Res. 2013 April ; 23(4): 568–575. available in PMC 2013 April 01. Come visit us on the web at www.ce-classes.com