It’s International Spiritual Care Week and the Board of Uniting AgeWell this week endorsed the organisation’s new Spirituality Framework.
The Spirituality Framework is the foundation for how Uniting AgeWell understands spirituality, and spiritual, secular, and religious care across all levels of the organisation.
Spirituality is that central part of our being human, our inner world; that core part of us that holds our values, beliefs, and how we make sense of life and the world. The spiritual care Uniting AgeWell offers is broad in nature. It may include religious care based in religious traditions, secular care, and care that resonates with people who find life in nature, the arts, creativity and community.
The framework is a commitment to listen deeply to individual needs, provide opportunities for different expressions of spirituality, and to respond in ways that are appropriate, inclusive, and respectful. It will be used to design training for staff, shape policies and procedures, and create growing awareness of spiritual needs and how to meet them.
At its heart, is a very intentional focus to put spiritual needs on equal footing with physical, mental and social needs. It highlights Uniting AgeWell’s commitment to supporting the people it serves to understand their life and find purpose in it, in a way that takes into account any limitations they may live with; and UA’s commitment to courageous conversations with the hard topics of ageing, suffering and dying.
The Spirituality Framework intersects with principles and commitments shared by Uniting AgeWell and the Uniting Church in Australia. It is a living document for the people Uniting AgeWell serves, the people it employs, and the wider community it holds valuable connection with.
The Spirituality Framework embraces the adage, ‘Living and ageing well is a fabulous and fragile business!’
Find out more about Spiritual Care Week and the work of our chaplains