Promoting Dignity in Care

Everyone is entitled to be treated with kindness and respect, which is why we’re big supporters of Dignity Action Day and are doing our bit to promote dignity in the care environment

Promoting dignity and respect in our workplaces is a fundamental principle of the care we provide here at Bluebird Care Lewisham & Southwark. By screening our staff carefully and training them to a high standard, we aim to make sure they have the right attitude and skills to deliver the compassionate care everyone deserves.

We’re always big supporters of the annual Dignity Action Day. It’s a great awareness event that reminds us all of the importance of encouraging dignity and respect. It also helps health and social care workers to examine their own practice and make sure they're addressing the core dignity factors:

1. Choice and control: good care isn’t about going in and taking over. People should be supported to maintain their independence, make their own decisions, feel heard and be included in every aspect of their care. It’s all about helping people to live life the way they want to and respecting their wishes, preferences and choices.
2. Communication: effective care isn’t possible without good communication. Everyone communicates in a different way, so carers need to be adaptable and change their communication style to suit the individual. That may mean anything from having special training to communicate with people who have specific difficulties, slowing down and giving people more time or using different language to make it easier for someone to understand you. Active listening is an important skill and one we all need to practice in the care environment. After all, you can’t help someone in the right way if you don’t really take the time and trouble to truly understand what they’re trying to tell you.
3. Nutrition and hydration: good nutrition and hydration is something that vulnerable people can struggle with. Helping someone to eat well and stay hydrated is such an important part of health and social care. That means doing everything from making sure they can access food and drink easily, giving them foods they enjoy and are able to eat safely, providing them with the right utensils, ensuring the environment is conducive to eating and making sure they never feel as if they are being rushed to finish a meal.
4. Pain management: Pain is exhausting, debilitating and has a huge impact on quality of life. Helping someone who lives with pain to manage and take their medication safely and properly is an important part of providing quality care and helping them to maintain their wellbeing. Some people don’t like to complain, despite being in severe discomfort, so helping someone feel comfortable in talking about their pain is also a vital part of its management.
5. Personal hygiene: help with personal cleanliness is vital for maintaining someone’s physical and emotional health. Not being able to take care of your own personal hygiene can cause feelings of shame and disgust. When you perform intimate care tasks every day, important not to become blasé about it and to bear in mind that it may be deeply embarrassing for the person you’re helping. Respecting their preferences, understanding their own personal level of hygiene and maintaining their privacy as much as possible is essential.
6. Practical help: this could be anything from helping someone to cope with daily household chores, manage their finances or access social activities. People who are vulnerable, elderly or living with a disability may need help with a huge range of practical tasks. A good health and social care worker can give them the support they need to take care of the practical side of life.
7. Privacy: being a carer is a very personal and intimate role that demands confidentiality, respect and upholding the person’s right to privacy. That may mean anything from ensuring unauthorised people don’t have access to property or documents, knocking on a door before entering, asking before entering someone’s personal space or leaving the room for someone to have a private conversation. Everyone is entitled to their privacy and no one has right to invade it.
8. Social inclusion: it can be hard for elderly and vulnerable people or those living with health conditions to maintain social relationships, which has a detrimental effect on their physical and mental health. Encouraging and supporting people to access and enjoy social events and activities might include helping them use the phone or computer to chat to friends and family or driving them to the local community group.

Practising dignity and respect

If you need more support to live life the way you want to in the comfort of home, our Care Assistants are here to help. Whatever the level of support you need, our team will make sure your care plan reflects who you are and how you want to live. Your choices and preferences are at the heart of your care and we make sure you and your family are involved in all decision making.

To find out more about our range of home care services across the London boroughs of Lewisham and Southwark, get in touch.