Dignity And Dementia Handout 2
Enhancing dignity in the care of people with dementia Professor Lesley Baillie
Florence Nightingale Foundation
Chair of Clinical Nursing Practice,
London South Bank University and
University College :London Hospitals
Plan
Types of dignity
• Human dignity: the dignity that all humans have and cannot be taken away
• Social dignity: experienced through interaction - dignity-of-self and dignity-inrelation (Jacobson 2007)
• So for people with dementia:
• We must acknowledge and respect their human dignity
• We must recognise how their dignity is affected by how they feel and by our interactions with them
What is the meaning of dignity? How does it feel to have dignity?
How does it feel to lose our dignity? The meaning of dignity
• Dignity is concerned with how people feel, think and behave in relation to the worth or value of themselves and others. To treat someone with dignity is to treat them as being of worth, in a way that is respectful of them as valued individuals. (Royal College of Nursing [RCN] 2008, p.6)
Definition of dignity
• When dignity is present:
• people feel in control, valued, confident, comfortable and able to make decisions for themselves. • When dignity is absent:
• people feel devalued, lacking control and comfort.
They may lack confidence and be unable to make decisions for themselves. They may feel humiliated, embarrassed or ashamed.
(RCN 2008, p.8)
Definition of dignity
• Dignity applies equally to those who have capacity and to those who lack it.
• Everyone has equal worth as human beings and must be treated as if they are able to feel, think and behave in relation to their own worth or value
• (RCN 2008, p.8)
Vulnerability to loss of dignity for people with dementia
• Loss of control and identity
• Specific effects of dementia and other concurrent conditions
• Negative attitudes and stigma:
‘Undignified care of older people does not happen in a vacuum; it is rooted in the discrimination and neglect evident towards
older
Florence Nightingale Foundation
Chair of Clinical Nursing Practice,
London South Bank University and
University College :London Hospitals
Plan
Types of dignity
• Human dignity: the dignity that all humans have and cannot be taken away
• Social dignity: experienced through interaction - dignity-of-self and dignity-inrelation (Jacobson 2007)
• So for people with dementia:
• We must acknowledge and respect their human dignity
• We must recognise how their dignity is affected by how they feel and by our interactions with them
What is the meaning of dignity? How does it feel to have dignity?
How does it feel to lose our dignity? The meaning of dignity
• Dignity is concerned with how people feel, think and behave in relation to the worth or value of themselves and others. To treat someone with dignity is to treat them as being of worth, in a way that is respectful of them as valued individuals. (Royal College of Nursing [RCN] 2008, p.6)
Definition of dignity
• When dignity is present:
• people feel in control, valued, confident, comfortable and able to make decisions for themselves. • When dignity is absent:
• people feel devalued, lacking control and comfort.
They may lack confidence and be unable to make decisions for themselves. They may feel humiliated, embarrassed or ashamed.
(RCN 2008, p.8)
Definition of dignity
• Dignity applies equally to those who have capacity and to those who lack it.
• Everyone has equal worth as human beings and must be treated as if they are able to feel, think and behave in relation to their own worth or value
• (RCN 2008, p.8)
Vulnerability to loss of dignity for people with dementia
• Loss of control and identity
• Specific effects of dementia and other concurrent conditions
• Negative attitudes and stigma:
‘Undignified care of older people does not happen in a vacuum; it is rooted in the discrimination and neglect evident towards
older
References: Baillie L (2009) Patient dignity in an acute hospital setting: a case study. Baillie, L., Merritt, J., Cox, J. (2012) Nursing students’ strategies for caring for older people with dementia in hospital. Nursing Older People Brooker D (2007) Person Centred Dementia Care: Making Services Better. Commission on Dignity in Care (2012) Delivering dignity: Securing dignity in care for older people in hospitals and care homes Jacobson N (2007). Dignity and health: A review. Social Science and Medicine 64(2): 292-302. Matiti, M., Baillie, L. (2011) (Eds) Dignity in Healthcare: a practical approach for nurses and midwives Royal College of Nursing (2008) Defending Dignity – Challenges and Opportunities Stokes, G. (2010) And still the music plays: stories of people with dementia.