This recognises spirituality as integral to quality of life and wellbeing for our residents and enabling them to access this in a way that is meaningful to their beliefs, culture and circumstances.
Spirituality plays an integral part of our wider Lifestyle, Therapy and Spirituality program across our five homes,
with residents able to access and build relationships with our spiritual care practitioners.
For Spiritual Care Coordinator Luisa Kooloofai, the meaning of spirituality comes back to having a sense of meaning and purpose in life.
“Spirituality is everybody’s business. It’s more than religion, it’s the inner core of what’s meaningful to each person in their wellbeing,” Luisa said.
Luisa said a key part of her role is delivering meaningful activities and enhancing the wellbeing of residents by working closely with the service managers to ensure their individual needs are addressed, whether it is social, emotional, cultural or spiritual need.
Sometimes it can be a humble gesture such as celebrating a special event that has meaning to the resident, or it can be a more planned effort that involves taking a resident back to one of the favourite hangout spots.
“It’s not the big things, it’s the one-on-one things that matter to them the most. Whatever mattered to them
before, is not the same as now,” Luisa said.
Spirituality extends beyond our practitioners as a team effort in our homes, as well for all MercyCare staff with
reflective practices regularly undertaken. “It’s not just the role of the spiritual coordinator or the carer, it’s a
collaborative effort,” she said.
“Spiritual care is that it’s all about the resident, the person.”
