SUCHOMELOVÁ, V. 2016. Senioři a spiritualita: duchovní potřeby v každodenním živote. Praha: Návrat domú, 303 s., ISBN 978-80-7255-361-7.
The presented publication by Mgr. Věra Suchomelová, Th.D. is intended not only for all those who work with seniors, i.e. social workers, psychologists, doctors, nurses, caregivers, etc., but also for everyone who has seniors in their family or surroundings.
The book is divided into a review section and a research section. In the review section, the author addresses the phenomenon of old age in contemporary society. The author describes old age as a period of change involving physical, psychological, and social aging, while also focusing on the social status of old age. The author presents a chapter entitled Strategy for a Good Old Age: A Sociological-Psychological Perspective, which further analyzes concepts such as quality of life in old age and its subjective factors, active aging and its positives and pitfalls, as well as the concept of adaptation to old age as a spiritual task.
The author examines old age from the perspective of theology, old age in the Old and New Testaments, and focuses on various themes related to old age in the context of theology, e.g., finitude in the horizon of eternity.
She defines the concepts of spirituality and religiosity in relation to quality of life in old age, discussing spiritual needs in old age such as: the need for awareness of one's own value and dignity, preservation of the continuity of the life story, the need for meaning in life, life purpose and hope, unconditional love and support in times of loss, the opportunity to give love and remain useful, the ability to freely express emotions such as anger and doubt, the need to transcend difficult life situations, the need for acceptance and validation of spiritual behavior, the need for gratitude, the need to forgive and on the other hand to experience forgiveness, and the need for preparation for dying and death.
In the second core part of the book, the research section, the author examines the spiritual needs in the lives of seniors, emphasizing their importance alongside needs such as providing leisure programs, healthy diet, modern facilities, etc. The author investigates what seniors truly need in order to continue developing and drawing from their spiritual potential, and how they manage to fulfill these needs.
The decision to pursue research within this topic stems, on the one hand, from the author's professional interest as a teacher and lecturer involved in the education of seniors as well as education about seniors, which she provides to students of social and charitable work and leisure pedagogy, and on the other hand, the interest in this topic also arises from the author's personal motivation, as she is confronted with the changing needs of her aging loved ones.
The author's research focuses on the form of religiosity and spirituality in seniors, as well as their spiritual needs, and how these needs manifest in everyday life. The research methods were interviews and observation, which made it possible to obtain a large volume of necessary data and sufficient space for sharing. The questions related to the seniors' past, religious socialization and further religious development, to the current state: family relationships, social ties, satisfaction/dissatisfaction, faith, interests, to the view of the future: expectations, wishes, plans, life after death, and to the overall attitude to life: looking back, awareness of meaning and continuity of the life story.
In the second part of her publication, the author captures interviews with seniors relating to the research problem, as well as observations from monitoring seniors during the ongoing interviews.
Based on the research, the author concludes that the spiritual component of the human personality is reflected in all attributes of a good old age, the process of adaptation to old age is a spiritual task, internal activity is also important for a person, personal spirituality is an important resource for coping with aging and old age, and is a significant element in the formation of one's own identity. The form of spirituality is shaped by the personal history of each individual; with increasing age, the tendency toward private experience of religiosity grows. The path to an older person is opened through conversation and active listening. A prerequisite for healthy spiritual development in old age is the education of seniors in this area, as well as the education of all who come into contact with seniors.
It is important to accept the needs of religiosity and spirituality in seniors, while their specific form and path to fulfilling spiritual needs is closely linked to the personal story of each individual.
The book deserves attention due to its topical subject; seniors are part of our society, it is necessary to take their needs into account, they are full of life wisdom and have much to pass on to younger generations.