“To a better place”: The role of religious belief for staff in residential aged care in coping with resident deaths

Introduction: Staff in residential aged care (RAC) face increasing exposure to death and dying provoking coping-related responses. This study reports on research exploring the role of religious/spiritual belief in staff coping with death and dying in RAC homes. Method: Utilising a mixed methods, concurrent triangulation design, data from interviews and questionnaires with 113 RAC staff were analysed to explore the relationship between staff members’ religious/spiritual beliefs and coping with resident deaths within the context of 50 RAC facilities. Results: Participants appeared to have distinctly different experiences of the role of religious/spiritual beliefs in their attitudes toward death and dying – as reflected linguistically in how they described it. Strong religious/spiritual influence and religious affiliation were associated with lower scores for burnout. Level of religious/spiritual influence does make a difference in the strategies employed by staff in coping with death and dying. Conclusion: Given the potential benefits associated with religious/spiritual beliefs, RAC facility management would be well advised to foster a workplace culture that supports and encourages spiritual/religious expression among facility staff. Greater understanding of the role of religious/spiritual beliefs in helping staff to make sense of the end-of-life experience can provide the basis for the development of staff supports enabling both improved staff well-being and resident end-of-life care.