What does dignity mean to you?

February is Dignity Action Month in the UK, an annual campaign to help remind all of us of the importance of upholding people's rights to dignity.
 
Dignity Action Month aims to ensure people who use care services or who receive support are treated as individuals and are given choice, control and a sense of purpose in their daily lives, which is something we are passionate about at Beritaz Care.
 
Residents in our homes have been thinking about what dignity means to them and how we can help to uphold this. The residents of Springkell House even created their own ‘digni-tree’ to display throughout the month, adorned with handmade leaves which contained each resident’s thoughts on what dignity means for them. This was a great exercise to help everyone at the home contemplate what dignity really means and the small actions we can all take to treat everyone (residents, staff and beyond) with dignity. Having the tree on display was a great way to encourage us to think about how we can uphold people’s rights to dignity, respect, kindness and compassion. 

Upholding dignity, listening to our residents and helping them to have a sense of control over their daily lives is a key part of the person-centred care we provide at Beritaz Care. Here are just a few of the ways we take action to uphold dignity in our homes:
 
 Making sure all voices are heard – we believe our residents should have a say in what is happening at the home and in their daily lives; after all, our home is their home. Our regular resident meetings are a chance for residents to hear about upcoming plans and share their thoughts on everything from activities and menu options to décor changes and outings.

Open communication channels – we want our residents to feel comfortable sharing if something is bothering them (and the same goes for our staff). Our regular one-to-one sessions between residents and staff help to build trust and provide a safe space to talk about anything on their minds.
 
 Encouraging self-care – everyone deserves to feel good about themselves, on the inside and out.  Whether that’s a manicure, a fresh shave, a new haircut, or simply getting dressed in their favourite outfit, we do everything we can to make sure our residents feel confident in themselves.

Promoting independence – showing dignity and respect to our residents means making sure they can have their independence while still ensuring their safety. We support our residents to continue with their favourite hobbies, from painting portraits to growing their own vegetables, and even being part of a band. We also encourage them to get involved in independent tasks, like baking, helping with events, or taking on roles within home life.

Asking for feedback – if there’s something we could be doing better… we want to know about it, particularly when it comes to dignity! We want to hear about ways we can improve the care we provide. We ask both our residents and their families to complete surveys and share their feedback on our homes, then act on this feedback to make positive changes.
 
The core values of Beritaz Care are “Caring, Trusting and Choices”, understanding people’s needs and supporting their choices is very important to us and we apply these values to everything we do.  
 
What does dignity mean to you?