ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an account of the author's scholarship, and a literature review that reflects her knowledge and understanding of spirituality and loss prior to commencement of the study. The literature review that follows provides a synopsis of the author's fore-having and her familiarity with the phenomenon of loss and spirituality as a perspective of healthcare. The themes of meaning and purpose in life, forgiveness, relationship and hope are addressed in terms of spiritual need. Chronic or terminal illness can undermine an individual's sense of identity. Whether abrupt or insidious in onset, the long-standing duration of illness that is managed rather than cured means that the chronically and terminally ill may benefit from support in facing the consequent challenges of their condition. Comprehensive review of published literature and research demonstrates that spirituality cannot be conveyed in a single definition. Relationships signify another spiritual need, whether with others, a transcendent power or the natural environment.
