Brendoncare supports Dignity Action Day
Today (1st February) is Dignity Action Day. This is a day which aims to ensure people using care services are treated as individuals, and are given choice, control and a sense of purpose in their daily lives.
Here at Brendoncare, kindness, dignity and respect are at the heart of everything we do for our care home and extra care housing residents, and people who use our community services.
Our Induction for new colleagues initially focuses on dignity. We highlight that this is an aspect linked to our core values and all colleagues from every discipline within our organisation are asked to complete on line training on dignity during their induction programme.
Angharad Foster, Brendoncare’s Learning & Development Manager, explains that Registered Nurses and carers working with residents are made fully aware of our “Dignity at Work” and “Dignity” policies.
Courses for senior carers feature dignity as a core topic leading to them becoming care home dignity champions. However, Brendoncare encourages all our carers to sign up as dignity champions.
Guidelines
There are key guidelines that Brendoncare’s colleagues follow. These ensure that everybody upholds the dignity of all our residents and community service members at all times.
They include:
- Encouraging and celebrating their independence so they feel a sense of satisfaction when achieving things for themselves;
- Respecting the fact that every person in our care has led a rich and hopefully fulfilling life, which are full of achievements and fascinating stories;
- Maintaining a dignified approach that helps to build a culture, safeguarding residents and our community members from abuse and neglect;
- Mealtimes are a highlight of the day for many some residents. Presenting and serving their food is always important in preserving their dignity;
- Giving our residents a voice in the way we care for them so they have a strong sense of control in their lives;
- Enabling everyone to engage in a wide range of activities they enjoy;
- Ensuring our colleagues understand at all times the importance of maintaining confidentiality about our residents and community members.
You can find out more information about Dignity Action Day and its aims on their website here.
