Religious Literacy in Hospice Care

Panagiotis Pentaris is a Senior Lecturer for the Department of Psychology, Social Work and Counselling at the University of Greenwich. He is also a Postdoc Research Fellow for the Faiths & Civil Society Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London. Panagiotis is a thanatologist, as well as a qualified social worker with specialty in hospice social work and clinical social work in end of life care. His research stretches from death policies to professional practice, and he has researched extensively about religion, belief and spirituality in end of life care.

List of figures

List of tables

Acknowledgements

List of abbreviations

Introduction

Conversations about death



Spiritual care



Introducing this book



Overview of the chapters



References

PART I



Hospice care and changing religious landscape

1 Religion, belief and spirituality in hospice care

Introduction



Hospice movement



Spirituality and hospice care



The spiritual dimension of modern hospice care



In summary



References

2 Religion and belief: A changing landscape

Introduction



Migration



Religious plurality and diversification



Religious decline, secularisation and desecularisation

Secularisation and professional practise



Implications of religious plurality



References

3 Tracing religion in health and death policy

Introduction



What policy says about religion and belief in dying



Religion and belief in healthcare: A new design



Concluding thoughts



References

PART II



Negotiating belief in hospice care

4 Belief in the space



Introduction



Religion and materiality



Religion and belief in the space



Concluding thoughts



References

5 Hospice professionals and religion

Introduction



Separating religion from spirituality



The role of religion in society



Religion, belief, spirituality and dying



The role of religion, belief and spirituality for service users



References

6 Hospice professionals and religious literacy

Introduction



Knowledge and understanding of religion and belief



Skills and abilities to engage with religion and belief



References

7 Integrating religion and belief in hospice care

Introduction



Death and health policies

Assessments



Neutral spaces



Religious networking



Commemorative practises



Concluding thoughts



References

PART III



Religious literacy in hospice care

8 Religious literacy in hospice care

Introduction



Religious literacy in hospice care



Religious literacy model for hospice care



Concluding note



References

Conclusions

Implications for social policy



Implications for professional practise



Final thoughts



References



Index