Despite the variety of definitions, spirituality can be commonly defined as "a vital essence of our lives that often allows us to transcend our circumstances and find new meaning and purpose, and that can foster hope" (Speck, cited in Sartori 2010). In times of extreme illness, caring for a person's spiritual needs can help reduce suffering, provide reassurance and comfort, and aid in physical and mental healing (Wicking 2015). ANMC Competency 9.5 reinforces this as it states: “Facilitates a physical, psychosocial, cultural and spiritual environment that promotes individual/group safety and security” (ANMC 2006 p. 8). It is essential when assessing spiritual needs that the nurse observes the patient to an extent that she can identify clues indicative of underlying spiritual needs such as a person's disposition as sad or withdrawn. More importantly, time must be invested in all patients to identify these clues and consequently meet the requirements of optimal patient care. A demand for a sense of spirituality and meaning in life is often seen among older generations as they prepare their minds for the inevitable end, i.e., death (Lewis & Foley 2014). Therefore, it is clear that nurses must perform spiritual assessments on all patients to identify the needs of these people and ensure that patients receive the best care.