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What does dignity mean to you?

4.8 on
2,750+ reviews
Posted on 4th January 2012.

<p>&lt;h2&gt;Dignity is at the core of everything Helping Hands does.&amp;nbsp; We recently asked some of our dedicated Carers exactly what &amp;ldquo;dignity&amp;rdquo; means to them:&lt;br /&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Sheila&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Well, for me it is thinking of my clients&amp;rsquo; feelings and respect towards another person.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;My client has sadly lost the sense of smell, so when I&amp;rsquo;m helping him with personal care I always tell him he is fresh and clean and I make sure his house smells nice as he often has guests and family come to visit. If I am cooking and the house smells of a lovely fresh baked cake, I make sure I tell him – he may not be able to smell it but telling him evokes a nice memories for him.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Everything we do is about ensuring dignity is maintained. It may be as simple as helping my client stay clean while he is eating, by gently cleaning his hands or wiping away a small food mark on his mouth so that he feels good about himself.&amp;nbsp; Or as important as making sure that he has enough towels to ensure privacy during personal care.&amp;nbsp; He is entitled to have this time and privacy…I make sure I give him his own space when he wants it.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hilda&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Dignity to me is quite simple. We are all human and the saying &amp;quot;treat people how you would want to be treated&amp;quot; is so true! When I am looking after someone I just think about how much dignity is important to me and I make sure I do my best do maintain their dignity as much as I can!&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stephanie&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Dignity is an important thing in so many ways. Whoever I look after no matter their disability whether physical, mental or a learning disability, I make sure I treat them exactly how I want to be treated; with respect and kindness – helping them live a fulfilled life. I definitely agree that the little things count, such as closing the door when your client is using the toilet and telling them to give you a shout when they&amp;rsquo;re ready rather than just standing there watching them. This makes a huge difference because I know that I wouldn’t like to be watched while I&amp;rsquo;m using the loo!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;You want to help the client feel confident and comfortable in their own home by remembering that we are there to assist them, which means giving them lots of choices. If they can decide what they want to wear ask them, chat with them about what they’d like to eat, don’t choose for them!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;It sounds like simple stuff but taking these little things away from someone can affect them in a negative way. I always knock before I enter someone’s room and wait to be invited in. Privacy is key to providing dignity in care.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt; Janika&lt;br /&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ldquo;I think dignity is about being sensitive to client&amp;rsquo;s moods and learning how to respond to them.&amp;nbsp; Sometimes a client, like anyone, can be have a bad day, if they are rude to you approach the situation calmly and respectfully, don&amp;rsquo;t take offense and try and find out what is wrong.&lt;br /&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt; I have been in so many situations where the client&amp;rsquo;s dignity could have been affected if I hadn&amp;rsquo;t known how to handle the situation. For example, in the past a client has had a little &amp;quot;accident&amp;quot; and they didn’t notice and someone else was in the room. Rather than drawing attention to the situation I let the client know quietly and we handled the situation. I explained it was alright and that it wasn’t a problem and they went back in the room to join their guest without the guest knowing what had happened.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</p>

Sally Tomkotowicz