Questions I now ask: Spirituality in the liminal environment of assisted living

This article analyzes, through two case studies, how elders in a secular, urban, assisted living facility (ALF), use their spirituality to manage change and loss, and to answer questions concerning the meaning of life and death. This article asks: how does personal spirituality help elders deal with the liminal environment of assisted living in the latter stage of life?This article is based on research that explored the cultural construction of dying and death in long-term care facilities. In-depth interviews were conducted with 22 residents living in an ALF. We offer case studies concerning elders' lived experience of spirituality in order to demonstrate the significance of individual and cohort history and the elder's embeddedness in the culture of assisted living.A key finding of this paper is that elders' spirituality becomes both miniaturized and expanded in the assisted living environment. The miniaturization mirrors the diminishment of their physical world. The expansion reflects the need for a belief system expanded enough to contain the questions asked in this place, at this time of life.