Nurturing spiritual well-being among older people in Australia: Drawing on Indigenous and non-Indigenous way of knowing.

AIM: The meaning of spiritual well-being as a health dimension is often contested and neglected in policy and practice. This paper explores spiritual well-being from both an Indigenous and a non-Indigenous perspective.

METHOD: We drew on Indigenous and non-Indigenous methodologies to explore the existing knowledge around spiritual well-being and its relationship with health.

RESULTS: The Indigenous perspective proposed that spiritual well-being is founded in The Dreaming, informs everyday relationships and can impact on health. The non-Indigenous perspective suggested that spiritual well-being is shaped by culture and religion, is of increased importance as one ages, and can improve coping and resilience stressors.

CONCLUSIONS: Situating these perspectives side by side allows us to learn from both, and understand the importance of spirituality in people's lives. Further research is required to better address the spiritual well-being/health connection in policy and practice.