Exploring Emmanuel Lartey’s Relational Spirituality Among End-of-Life Care Patients in Finland

This article analyses how relational spirituality is experienced among Finnish older adults during end-of-life care in their own home. The data consist of Pictor charts and thematic interviews. Guided by theory-driven thematic analysis, the findings are organised according to Emmanuel Lartey’s dimensions of relational spirituality. Analysis revealed four forms of relationality that were most prominent in the data: relationship with 1) transcendence, 2) self, 3) the (an)other, and 4) among people. These findings highlight how Lartey’s framework, with its emphasis on deeply rooted relationality, offers a more holistic understanding of spirituality than many conventional definitions. However, while Lartey’s spiritual dimensions offer a valuable lens for understanding relational spirituality at the end of life, the implicit forms of spirituality found in the Finnish context challenge Lartey’s framework. This tension underscores the importance of contextual and intercultural sensitivity when applying relational spiritual frameworks in diverse end-of-life settings.