The thesis explores the importance of faith in the lives of people with dementia. The theoretical part of the thesis presents key concepts and summarizes the findings of previous research. Dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes impairment of higher brain functions, which affects cognitive, behavioral, emotional and social aspects of an individual's life. Despite cognitive decline, people with dementia maintain spiritual awareness. Research shows that faith can provide support, comfort, reduce stress, improve quality of life and help maintain meaning and hope in people with dementia, which is why spiritual religious care is important throughout all phases of the disease. In the empirical part of the thesis, I presented a qualitative study that included 9 people with mild, moderate and advanced dementia and 5 employees in nursing homes, of which two social workers, two animators and one nurse. I talked with them in interviews about the importance of faith and spiritual religious care for people with dementia. The findings show that faith remains an important part of the lives of people with dementia, especially if it was important to them before. The faith of people with dementia is most often expressed through personal prayer, attending mass and singing church songs. Faith practices have a positive impact on the quality of life of people with dementia, as they reduce feelings of loneliness, anxiety and distress and contribute to a sense of peace, meaning and connection. Nursing home staff recognize the importance of faith for residents with dementia and observe that some residents start to practice their faith practices again, although they have abandoned them in the past. Staff observe the preservation of spiritual awareness even in the advanced stages of dementia. Comprehensive care for people with dementia must be personalized, focused on the needs of the individual and include a spiritual dimension.
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