ABSTRACT
Spirituality is a dimension of personhood, a part of our being. An important aspect of spirituality is maintaining balanced relationships/connections with oneself, others, nature, music, art, and/or a sacred or higher power or what give us meaning/purpose. Palliative and supportive care teams have to be aware of the nature of the interaction between spiritual and/or religious beliefs and end-of-life care preferences. Spiritual care is an important part of human care and consequently should be part of health care, especially when a patient is facing the existential struggles of advanced illnesses and the end of life. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview about the role of spirituality and religiosity in advanced illness patients' way of coping and the importance of providing a comprehensive spiritual assessment and spiritual care in an interdisciplinary team setting, such as palliative care.
