In November 2006 the national “Dignity in Care Campaign” was launched by the Department of Health, National Dignity Council, and its partners. The campaign’s aim is to improve the quality of care and the experience of people using hospitals, care homes, and other services. The campaign accomplishes this by emphasising the need for personalised care, being recognised as an individual, and highlighting the paramount importance of putting dignity and respect at the centre of care services.
As part of the campaign, a national Dignity Action Day has been established as an annual event, to give everyone the opportunity to contribute to maintaining people’s rights to dignity, and provide a truly memorable day for people receiving care.
This year, staff and residents at THE FED’s HEATHLANDS VILLAGE, Prestwich, took part in national Dignity Action Day on Wednesday, 1st February, 2012. To promote the message championed by the Dignity in Care Campaign, staff focused on encouraging respect, individuality, and personal choice for those in care.
To celebrate, staff and residents took part in various special activities and events throughout the day. In the morning, the communal Sunny Lounge was transformed to resemble a cafe, where residents enjoyed each other’s company and had coffee, tea, and biscuits. Many of the residents who participate in the weekly photography club at HEATHLANDS VILLAGE, could be seen avidly taking photographs of the staff and other residents while they enjoyed the day’s activities. The Photography Club is a relatively new addition to HEATHLANDS VILLAGE activities, although in the four months that the residents have been taking part, it has proved hugely successful. The club is run by Alex Mazurek, from the Recreational Therapy team, with help from volunteer Mark Maynard, 21, who comes to HEATHLANDS VILLAGE for a few hours every week. The club encourages the residents to develop their photography skills through group and individual projects.
In the afternoon, residents also had the option of participating in a group activity where they worked on an ongoing project – composing life histories. These life histories are compiled with the Recreational Therapy team as a way of enhancing and focusing on THE FED’s person centred approach to care. They allow staff to learn about a resident’s hobbies, family, friends, likes, dislikes, favourite holidays, and various other aspects of their lives. This record is then used by staff as a way to connect with residents and preserve their individuality.
While staff at HEATHLANDS VILLAGE always strive to promote the dignity and personal choice of their residents, they particularly enjoyed the opportunity that Dignity Action Day provided to do something extra special for them. Nicky Burgess, Deputy Head of Wellbeing, explained,
“Dignity Action Day is terrific. It gives staff the chance to contribute to promoting people’s rights to dignity, and to providing a great day that the residents will remember and enjoy. At THE FED we ensure our residents are treated as individuals, and always offer a range of stimulating activities. We can all make a difference in ensuring our residents are treated with dignity at all times.”
