Albert Biesinger

Ethical and interreligious skills need to be considered essential tools for qualified nursing staff. Not only in hospitals, but also in nursing homes people from different cultural and religious backgrounds meet each other every day. Being ill as well as being in need of care often makes religious and spiritual needs become more important. Therefore, qualified nursing staff is facing a special professional challenge. The book in hand offers teaching material intending to prepare trainees in the geriatric, medical and health care-sector for being responsive to the religious backgrounds of those in need of their care in a professional way. Nine teaching units aim at increasing the interreligious competences while nursing people of any age. Furthermore, they intend to sensitize nursing staff to religious and spiritual needs in various professional contexts as well as to increase their ability of using religious resources for solving conflicts in everyday work-life. The units offer useful teaching material and methods for trainees and essential background information for teachers. They are suited for lessons in geriatric, medical and health care education as well as in religious education, pastoral care and spiritual counseling.