Searching for Spiritual Peace: A Case Example of Life Integration and Relationship Reconciliation in the End-of-Life

Abstract

Many patients approaching the end of life are confronted with spiritual concerns related to a sense of personal integrity, meaning of life, and a fulfilled past. This presentation uses a case story to present how a qualitative study can be integrated with community intervention in helping patients searching for spiritual peace in their end of life. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted with the case who was a male older adult receiving palliative care in Sha Tin Hospital, Hong Kong. Findings reveal that a sense of self integrity through fulfilling familial responsibilities, seeking forgiveness and reconciliation of significant relationships are important themes contributing to the patient’s spirituality. As a follow up of the qualitative study, a charity organization in Hong Kong, Togetherness, provided a life review and meaning-making intervention in helping the patient to search for spiritual peace. Volunteers of the organization visited the patient and provided intervention with the following focuses: (1) Life Integration: Revisit and reinterpret regretful life experiences focusing on what is learnt from these experiences and the meaning of life; (2) Relationship reconciliation: Visit mother’s tomb, express love, gratitude and seek forgiveness from family, and family photo taking; (3) Living in the moment: Participate in social gatherings such as birthday party and festival celebrations and develop photography as new hobby. The intervention is successful in regaining a sense of personal integrity, connectedness, and spiritual peace.