Caring at the culture and spirituality interface: case studies from China, Taiwan, New Zealand and Sub-Saharan Africa

Richard A. Powell, Cheng-Pei Lin, Ping Guo, Eve Namisango

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

Palliative care is premised on the keystone principle that “total pain” involves suffering in the potentially reciprocally impacting physical, psychological, social, and spiritual domains. It is, therefore, underpinned by a multidimensional, biopsychosocial-spiritual model of care provision. Palliative care providers should not simply assess and manage these multiple domains of patient suffering holistically—including end-of-life spiritual concerns—but do so with a cognisance of, and sensitivity to, prevailing cultural practices and expectations within which the patient, their family and community, exist. This chapter explores palliative care provision at the interface between culture and spirituality, using four brief case studies from China, Taiwan, New Zealand, and sub-Saharan Africa. Insufficient research exists on culturally safe approaches to palliative care, especially among indigenous populations, as determinants of expectations and experiences of service users, and how services are organized and delivered. Similarly, more research is needed regarding the models of spiritual care provision, how death and the dying process are understood, how people find meaning in illness, and the preferred communication and rituals surrounding and planning for death. The chapter therefore proposes the need for research into the culture–spirituality–palliative care nexus. It concludes that by being sensitive to patients’ spiritual and cultural needs and wants, palliative care practitioners acquire the insights and understanding necessary to provide holistic care for the whole person, to address their suffering in its totality, in accord with the biopsychosocial-spiritual model of care provision, as well as helping ensure that their dignity, right to self-determination, and autonomy are respected.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationGlobal Perspectives in Cancer Care
Subtitle of host publicationReligion, Spirituality, and Cultural Diversity in Health and Healing
EditorsMichael Silberman, Ann Berger
PublisherOxford University Press
Chapter3
Pages22-32
Number of pages11
ISBN (Electronic)9780197551370, 9780197551363 (epub)
ISBN (Print)9780197551349
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 Jul 2022

Keywords

  • spiritual
  • culture
  • interface
  • palliative
  • terminal
  • end of life
  • decolonization
  • case study

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