ABSTRACT
Adulthood in western society is associated with a sense of control. Where religious practice was a component of patient spirituality, individualising patient access to religious ritual or service facilitated a potential means of coping. The importance of not proselytizing was so important to one participant that she implied that she did not address religion at all when caring for patients. Hope is an integral part of spirituality, and is a powerful coping mechanism in times of duress. A dominant component of hope is the personal dimension or spirit of hope, which involves meaning associated with a sense of the possible or a feeling of empowerment. Patient empowerment was also exemplified by the experiences of some nurses in the community and nursing home environments. Friction in families was also experienced in the nursing home environment. Hope is an integral part of spirituality, and involves meaning associated with a sense of the possible or a feeling of empowerment.
