Meaning in Long Term Care Settings: Victor Frankl's Contribution to Gerontology

SUMMARY What are the sources of meaning in later life? Scholars and Biblical tradition offer explanations for this. Viktor Frankl has offered specific psychotherapeutic insights into human meaning that can be considered in the special case of nursing home elderly. However, meaning must take into account the several types of nursing home residents which include the terminal (comatose or active), the cognitively impaired, the cognitively intact but physically impaired, and the rehabilitation patient (short term). A list of potential sources of meaning to consider in preparing for ministry in nursing homes is presented. A ministry checklist of these sources in relation to resident types is included.