In recent years, the link between spiritual activities, such as prayer and church attendance, and better health for those suffering from diseases has been well documented.

But what about those who care for the ill and injured? How important is prayer to nurses and doctors, to nurses' aides and home care workers, to family members and social workers? Does it help them cope with the stresses and strains of working with patients?

Recently, my colleagues and I completed a study on how religion and prayer helps those who care for people with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders cope with the situation. In addition to memory loss, the four million Americans with Alzheimer's often suffer from depression, radical mood swings, confusion, and even bouts of violence to self and others. Caring for such individuals often results in anxiety, loneliness, physical health problems, and even despair in the knowledge that the patient will never "get better."

Ita/Ota by Regina Vater

Our study shows that caregivers identified religious activities in general—going to church, reading sacred texts, etc.—as a major resource for coping with the difficulties in their caregiving activities. Those who care for people with Alzheimer's singled out prayer as a particularly vital source of empowerment.

When we asked sixty-four rural caregivers what resources helped them cope, 41% volunteered that religious activities were most helpful. When asked specifically about religious belief, nearly all the rest agreed that faith played a significant role in dealing with stress. Nearly two-thirds said they relied "heavily" on prayer, and most believed God answered their prayers and felt prayer was very effective in helping them cope.

But what, exactly, is prayer? For the purposes of our study, we defined prayer as a private, religious activity that implies communication with God, a religious and/or spiritual activity that serves as a means of adapting to the uncertainty of life events. People pray in an effort to find meaning in challenging situations such as dealing with a person with Alzheimer's, or simply to ask God or a higher power for strength and support.

Prayer takes on an especially vital role for caregivers of people with Alzheimer's because those caregivers often can't get out of the house. As one research participant noted, "I believe it was more my personal faith" that got her through the most difficult times. "We couldn't go to church very often due to the inability to handle him outside the home. It's relying on Him day by day. . . . At times when I was at my wit's end, I would just go in the other room and say, 'Lord, help me.' "

Struggling with and caring for a person with Alzheimer's appears to increase the caregiver's feeling of spiritual connectedness and emotional stability. A previous study revealed that women who cared for a husband with dementia felt closer to God than women who weren't actively caring for a sick relative.

In our study, most caregivers reported that prayer helped them cope with the roller coaster of emotions they experienced in helping the person with Alzheimer's; the longer the fight with the disease continued, the more caregivers relied on prayer. They reported that praying gave them a sense of peace, strength, and even answers to caregiving problems.

Identifying helpful dimensions of religiosity can be paramount in developing effective and appropriate support systems for caregivers, improving care and decreasing burnout rates. A healthcare manager who is aware of the role religiosity plays in caregiving is better able to incorporate caregivers' spiritual perspectives to make caregiving a less stressful and more rewarding vocation.

To this end, healthcare agencies, religious organizations, and support groups can forge alliances to develop interventions promoting religious coping activities and, in the forging, contribute to healthier bodies, minds, and spirits.