How well do you understand the spiritual connections that matter most to your care home residents?
- Bright Copper Kettles CIC
- Aug 28, 2025
- 6 min read
Spiritual wellbeing often feels like the most intangible area of care, yet it plays a powerful role in helping residents feel calm, connected, and valued. For some, spirituality is rooted in faith; for others, it’s found in nature, music, or quiet reflection. As activity coordinators, you don’t need to have all the answers - but by opening the door to spiritual connections, you can make a profound difference to daily life in your home.
What spiritual wellbeing means in a care home
Spiritual wellbeing isn’t a one-size-fits-all. For some residents, it means practising their religion, joining a service, or connecting with a local faith leader. For others, it might be sitting by the window with a cup of tea, listening to birdsong, or sharing memories from their childhood.
In a care home setting, spirituality can encompass:
Personal beliefs (religious or non-religious).
A sense of meaning and purpose.
Opportunities to connect with others and the world around them.
Space to reflect, find calm, and hold onto hope.
Recognising these different forms of spiritual wellbeing helps us create an environment where every resident feels their inner needs are being respected.
Types of belief your care home residents may hold
When we talk about spiritual connections, it’s important to recognise the incredible variety of beliefs that residents may bring with them into the care home. These might include:
1. Religious Beliefs
God / Faith in a Higher Power: Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist or other faith traditions.
Saints: devotion to particular saints for guidance, healing, or protection.
Sacred texts and rituals: Bible, Qur’an, Gita, Torah, prayers, hymns, and practices.
Sacred music and chanting: mantras, bhajans, psalms, or repetitive chants that soothe the soul.
Ritual objects: rosaries, prayer beads, charms, amulets, or talismans.
2. Nature-Based Beliefs
Astrology: Star signs, belief that the position of the stars and planets influences personality, mood, or life events.
Moon cycles: phases of the moon influencing mood, energy, and rituals.
Seasonal cycles: connection with solstices, equinoxes, or harvest traditions.
The natural world: seeing nature itself as spiritual, healing, or sacred.
3. Spiritual / New Age Beliefs
Angel guides and numbers: seeing repeated numbers, feathers, or signs as messages from angels.
The Universe / cosmic energy: belief in universal flow, destiny, or “everything happens for a reason.”
Meditation and mindfulness: practices that connect people with their inner self and higher awareness.
Crystals and energy healing: using stones or energy fields for balance and protection.
Tarot cards: using symbolic cards for reflection, guidance, or exploring life’s path.
Feng shui: arranging space and belongings to encourage harmony, balance, and good energy flow.
Channelling / mediumship: receiving messages from spirits or loved ones who have passed.
Reiki and energy work: using hands-on or distance healing practices.
Labyrinth walking / mandalas: meditative spiritual practices for reflection.
4. Cultural / Folk Beliefs
Superstitions: luck associated with black cats, broken mirrors, crossing on stairs, lucky charms.
Ancestral traditions: honouring ancestors or family spirits through ritual or memory.
Folklore: stories or customs passed down that bring comfort and meaning.
Dream interpretation:seeing dreams as messages, guidance, or warnings.
Reincarnation / past lives: belief that the soul returns in different lifetimes.
Palmistry (palm reading): belief that the hand reveals personality or destiny.
5. Personal Philosophy
Humanism: finding meaning through humanity, kindness, and community rather than faith.
Legacy and life meaning: focusing on values, wisdom, and what is passed on.
Individual practices: unique personal rituals, sayings, or habits that give a sense of comfort.
The important thing to remember is that spiritual wellbeing is not limited to formal religion. Anything that gives a resident peace, hope, or a sense of connection deserves to be acknowledged and respected. They may have a spirtual pull towards something isn't listed here, take the time to listen and watch for clues, perhaps they don't have any spiritual beliefs, or none that they have acknowledged. Be the detective.
Why spiritual wellbeing matters
Supporting spiritual wellbeing is a core part of holistic care. When residents feel spiritually nourished, they often show greater resilience, calmness, and acceptance, especially during times of change or uncertainty.
Spiritual wellbeing:
Encourages connection with identity, memories, and life stories.
Reduces feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Brings comfort and meaning to daily life.
Helps residents feel hopeful and engaged.
For many older people, spirituality is the thread that ties together their sense of self and their place in the world.
Practical ways to support spiritual wellbeing
1. Respect and enable faith practices
Arrange visits from local clergy or faith leaders. Including a weekly opportunity to receive holy communion, for example.
Provide access to services online, radio, or TV.
Celebrate festivals and traditions in ways that are meaningful to residents.
2. Create moments of reflection
Set up a quiet space where residents and staff can go for prayer, meditation, or simply to sit peacefully.
Offer reflective activities such as guided meditation, poetry readings, or journalling.
3. Connect with nature
Take residents outside whenever possible, even for short walks or time in the garden.
Bring nature indoors with flowers, plants, or seasonal displays.
Try flower arranging sessions (a lovely activity that combines creativity, calm, and connection to nature).
4. Use music and art
Play hymns, chants, or favourite songs that touch the soul.
Encourage creative expression through painting, poetry, or storytelling.
Hold reminiscence sessions where music sparks conversations and memories.
5. Encourage conversations about meaning and legacy
Work on life story projects or memory boxes.
Encourage residents to share their wisdom and experiences, perhaps through intergenerational projects with schools or youth groups.
Create opportunities for residents to leave a legacy, whether through writing, recording stories, or creating something tangible.
Overcoming challenges
Supporting spiritual wellbeing in a care home isn’t without its challenges:
Residents may have different, or even conflicting, beliefs. The key is to respect and allow choice.
With busy schedules, spiritual activities can easily be pushed aside. It helps to remember they are just as important as physical and social activities.
Not every resident will want to join group activities. One-to-one moments, a quiet chat, a short prayer, or even sitting together in silence, can be equally meaningful.
Quite spaces can often attract clutter - wheelchairs, walkers and anything else that doesn't have 'home'. Make sure that other members of staff understand the meaning of the space and the importance of keeping it clear for its intended use.
The role of the activity coordinator
You don’t need to be a spiritual leader to support spiritual wellbeing. What matters is creating opportunities for residents to connect with whatever gives them meaning. By recognising the "Spiritual S” in the SPIES model of wellbeing, you are helping residents feel truly cared for in mind, body, and spirit.
Try weaving spiritual elements into your weekly plan so they’re not seen as an occasional add-on, but as part of everyday life in the home.
Spiritual wellbeing is about so much more than faith, it’s about connection, peace, and meaning. Whether it’s through nature, music, quiet reflection, or religious practice, those small moments can have a profound impact on residents’ lives.
As an activity coordinator, you are perfectly placed to nurture these moments, helping residents feel valued, understood, and spiritually fulfilled.
Spiritual wellbeing is about helping residents connect to what gives them meaning - whether that’s faith, nature, music, or quiet moments of reflection. Those small touches can have a profound impact.
If you’ve enjoyed exploring spiritual wellbeing today, you might like to revisit the other areas of wellbeing I’ve covered in my SPIES series. Each post looks at a different aspect; social, physical, intellectual, emotional, and now spiritual with practical ideas for how you can weave them into everyday life in your care home. Together, they offer a complete picture of holistic wellbeing to support your residents in living well.
As a member of the Activity Coordinators Toolbox, you’ll be able to take the ideas from these blogs even further. Each topic is explored in more depth through exclusive downloads, and affirmations that make it easier to bring wellbeing to life in your care home.
It’s a space designed to give you confidence, inspiration, and support - so you never feel like you’re working it out alone.
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