Paper short abstract:

Collected artefacts turned into a Museum of 'Spiritualities' uncover the diverse spiritual needs of older people with migrant background in residential care. Current care practice focuses mainly on 'bodily' care, this research stresses the importance of spiritual care for older people.

Paper long abstract:

Economical shifts, ageing of the population, and migration trends are changing the care demand in the United Kingdom. This is also reflected in residential care for older people, especially regarding the spiritual needs of its residents (Ballew et al. 2012). In a multi-sited ethnographic study, older people living in four different residential care facilities with diverse religious and cultural backgrounds were asked to bring an artefact to their interview. The artefact had to give or represent a sense of wellbeing. It functioned as a conversation starter and gave insight into older people's ideas of spirituality.

The dichotomy between subject and object became re-evaluated in the 1980s. A more agency-oriented approach to artefacts and the use of artefacts in social scientific methodologies emerged. Understanding the meaning ascribed to personal objects can inform us about a culture that might not be communicated verbally. Furthermore, artefacts and their collection have been a part of exhibiting cultures, the most prominent example being a museum. Museums are such an integral part of our society and people's lives that they "frame our most basic assumptions about the past and about ourselves" (Marstine 2007:1). Therefore, especially in the context of older people and their spiritual needs, the collection and exhibition of artefacts seems invaluable. The result is a Museum of 'Spiritualities,' informing us about the different spiritual needs that older residents with diverse backgrounds in residential care facilities have and how they can be addressed.