Guideline 2:

Meaning and Purpose

Addresses the fundamental human need to experience life as significant, purposeful, and worth living, particularly as individuals face the challenges and opportunities of ageing. Supporting individuals to find meaning and purpose is something many aged care staff do instinctively and with great skill, such as a conversation over a meal, a remembered interest brought back to life, or an activity designed around what someone genuinely loves.

OVERVIEW

This section acknowledges that commitment while identifying the structural barriers that can limit its reach and consistency. The challenges described here are drawn from research and sector consultation and reflect patterns commonly encountered across the sector, not a verdict on what any individual provider or home is doing. Use this section to identify where existing good practice can be strengthened or better supported.

This Guideline builds directly upon Knowing and Being Known (Guideline 1), as understanding each individual’s unique sources of meaning enables personalised support for spiritual growth and purpose. It strengthens Connectedness and Belonging (Guideline 3) by helping individuals find significance through relationships and contribution. It becomes particularly crucial in Palliative Care and End-of- Life Care (Guideline 4), where questions of meaning intensify as mortality approaches. Support Workforce Wellbeing (Guideline 5) improves when staff witness the meaningful impact of their care. Diversity and Inclusion (Guideline 6) ensures that diverse cultural, spiritual, and personal frameworks for meaning are equally honoured.

This Guideline provides practical strategies for fostering meaning and purpose through personalised spiritual assessment, access to nature and arts, opportunities for contemplation and purposeful activity, and support for spiritual growth across all cognitive abilities. This delivers enhanced wellbeing outcomes alongside measurable organisational benefits.

Who will benefit?

Individuals

experience greater wellbeing, purpose and identity.

Staff

experience improved job satisfaction through meaningful relationships and engagement.

Supporters

gain confidence that their loved one’s deeper needs are understood and supported.

Organisations

improve outcomes, reputation and alignment with vision, mission and strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards.

What strategies will be used?

Strategy A

Holistic spiritual screening assessment

Strategy B

Meaningful contribution and purpose

Strategy C

Religious and spiritual practices

Strategy D

Spiritually meaningful activities

Strategy E

Supportive and enriching environments

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The related appendix

Guideline 2 – Meaning and Purpose Strategies	Relevant Standards	Outcomes & Key Actions Referenced	Demonstrated Alignment
Strategy A – Spiritual Screening and Assessment	Standard 1; Standard 3; Standard 5; Standard 2	S1: 1.1.2(a–f); 1.3.1–1.3.6 S3: 3.1 (3.1.1–3.1.6); 3.3.1–3.3.3 S5: 5.4.1–5.4.4; 5.7.3(b) S2: 2.7.1–2.7.3	Implements validated spiritual screening and reassessment processes; embeds meaning, purpose and connection into care planning; ensures information sharing, consent and multidisciplinary coordination.
Strategy B - Meaningful Contribution and Purpose	Standard 1; Standard 3; Standard 5; Standard 7	S1: 1.1; 1.3.5–1.3.6 S3: 3.1; 3.2.2; 3.2.4 S5: 5.4; 5.6 S7: 7.1	Supports autonomy, dignity of risk and quality of life through purposeful engagement; aligns activities with abilities and preferences; integrates social prescribing and community connection.
Strategy C – Religious and Spiritual Practices	Standard 1; Standard 3; Standard 5; Standard 7	S1: 1.1.2(d–f); 1.2.2–1.2.4 S3: 3.1.6; 3.2.1 S5: 5.7.1–5.7.4 S7: 7.1	Facilitates access to diverse religious, spiritual and secular contemplative practices; supports cultural safety, identity and end-of-life spiritual care; respects collective and individual observance.
Strategy D – Spiritually Meaningful Activities	Standard 1; Standard 3; Standard 5; Standard 7	S1: 1.1; 1.3.5 S3: 3.1; 3.2.1–3.2.2 S5: 5.4; 5.6 S7: 7.1	Delivers culturally adapted, cognitively inclusive, meaningful activities; strengthens identity, reminiscence and belonging; enhances wellbeing using technology and sensory engagement.
Strategy F – Supportive and Enriching Environments	Standard 4; Standard 1; Standard 7; Standard 3	S4: 4.1a; 4.1b (4.1.1–4.1.2) S1: 1.1.1–1.1.2 S7: 7.1 S3: 3.2.1	Designs environments that enable spiritual practice, contemplation and meaningful engagement; ensures accessibility, cultural safety and homelike spaces that support identity and purpose.

Guideline 2 – Meaning and Purpose Strategies	NGSCAC Domain	NGSCAC Statement No.	Alignment Explanation
Strategy A – Spiritual Screening and Assessment	Domain III – Identifying and meeting spiritual choices, preferences and needs	3.1; 3.2; 3.3; 3.4; 3.6; 3.7; 3.9	Directly operationalises Domain III requirements to identify spiritual beliefs, preferences and sources of meaning (3.1–3.4), document and review these within care processes (3.6–3.7), and ensure referral or specialist involvement where complex needs are identified (3.9).
Strategy B – Meaningful Contribution and Purpose	Domain II – Relationships and connectedness; Domain V – Enabling spiritual expression	2.4; 2.7; 2.9; 5.1; 5.3; 5.5	Aligns with Domain II statements promoting belonging, participation and reduction of isolation (2.4, 2.7, 2.9), and Domain V enabling individuals to express spirituality through activities, community participation and meaningful roles (5.1, 5.3, 5.5).
Strategy C – Religious and Spiritual Practices	Domain V – Enabling spiritual expression; Domain IV – Ethical context of spiritual care	5.2; 5.4; 5.6; 4.1; 4.2; 4.5	Operationalises Domain V expectations that organisations enable religious and spiritual expression (5.2, 5.4, 5.6), while upholding ethical safeguards including informed consent, respect for beliefs and professional boundaries as articulated in Domain IV (4.1, 4.2, 4.5).
Strategy D – Spiritually Meaningful Activities	Domain II – Relationships and connectedness; Domain V – Enabling spiritual expression	2.5; 2.8; 2.10; 5.1; 5.6	Supports relational depth and narrative identity through reminiscence and shared meaning (2.5, 2.8, 2.10), and enables creative, cultural and reflective forms of spiritual expression consistent with Domain V (5.1, 5.6).
Strategy F – Supportive and Enriching Environments	Domain I – Organisational leadership and alignment; Domain V – Enabling spiritual expression	1.2; 1.4; 1.7; 5.2; 5.5	Aligns governance, policies and physical environments with spiritual care principles (1.2, 1.4, 1.7), ensuring spaces and systems actively enable spiritual practice, ritual and identity expression (5.2, 5.5).

Read Connectedness and Belonging

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