The HEART Model – Guidelines for Enhancing Wellbeing through Holistic, Person-centred Spiritual Care (printed copy)

The HEART Model: Guidelines for Enhancing Wellbeing through Holistic, Person-centred Spiritual Care

A new framework for putting holistic, person-centred spiritual care into everyday practice in residential aged care.

The HEART Model has been developed to help residential aged care providers move from good intentions to consistent, organisation-wide practice.

Grounded in research, lived experience and sector expertise, these Guidelines bring together spirituality, personhood, wellbeing and person-centred care in one practical framework. They support organisations to recognise what matters most to each person and to embed meaning, purpose, connection, dignity and hope into everyday care.

HEART stands for Honouring beliefs and values, Engaged listening, Acknowledging meaning and purpose, Respectful presence, and Trust and hope. At its centre is a simple but important idea: spiritual care is not an optional extra or the responsibility of one specialist role. It is part of caring for the whole person, and everyone in an organisation has a part to play.

Developed through a rigorous process, the HEART Model draws on a review of more than 1,500 articles, the lived experiences of older people, families, carers and aged care staff, sector co-design workshops, and validation through an international Delphi panel of 34 experts. It builds on the National Guidelines for Spiritual Care in Aged Care and aligns with the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards.

The resource is structured around six interconnected Guidelines:

1. Knowing and Being Known
2. Meaning and Purpose
3. Connectedness and Belonging
4. Palliative Care and End-of-life Care
5. Workforce Wellbeing
6. Diversity and Inclusion

Each Guideline brings the evidence into practice, helping organisations understand why change matters, who benefits, who is responsible, what strategies can be used, and how progress can be measured. The result is a practical resource that can be used by governing bodies, senior leaders, managers, clinicians, spiritual care practitioners, lifestyle teams and the wider aged care workforce.

Rather than asking organisations to start again, HEART recognises the good work already happening across aged care. It provides a structured way to make that work more visible, consistent and sustainable, supported by organisational systems, culture, leadership and shared understanding.

For organisations seeking to strengthen person-centred care, support workforce wellbeing and keep the whole person at the heart of aged care, the HEART Model offers a clear and practical place to begin.