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. 2024 Jan;23(1):e14021.
doi: 10.1111/acel.14021. Epub 2023 Oct 24.

Holistic care in healthy aging: Caring for the wholly and holy human

Lealani Mae Y Acosta  1 , E Wesley Ely  1   2
Affiliations

Holistic care in healthy aging: Caring for the wholly and holy human

Lealani Mae Y Acosta et al. Aging Cell. 2024 Jan.

Abstract

Health care should address the holistic gap between health outcomes, spirituality, religion, and humanistic care to optimize patient care. Treating the whole person encompasses both physical and metaphysical elements. Patients want health care professionals to recognize their spiritual and religious preferences, because these matter in their approach to illness, coping, and long-term outcomes.

Keywords: aging; goals of care; physician-patient relationship; religion; spirituality.

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Conflict of interest statement

No conflict of interest.

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