Delivering Dignity Report March 2012

 

Delivering Dignity Report, March 2012

Book Review: Vyasamoorthy

The report may be downloaded from: http://www.nhsconfed.org/Documents/dignity.pdf

 

A series of studies and reports (in UK) shows that all is not well with treatment meted out to elders in hospitals & nursing homes.  There is an urgent need for change. "Treating Old people with dignity and respect when they are most vulnerable in Nursing Homes, hospitals and Care Homes" is the focus of this report. Commission on Dignity in Care for Older People set up by NHS, UK is the author. Based on observation of Best Practices of hospitals that are already delivering good care, ways and means of Delivering dignity to every person every time  are outlined.

 

Some recommendations include:

·                  Hiring staff with compassion in addition to technical skills,

·                  getting commitments from top management,

·                  special training for staff ,

·                  comprehensive geriatric assessment upon admission,

·                  getting feedback from patients and family members,

·                  looking at relatives & families as partners in caring rather than as nuisance etc

 

There are similar findings for care homes too.  Changing societal attitudes and fighting ageism,  changing the emphasis on caring at home rather than in institutions, changing the way in which older people are addressed and talked about (the words we use), etc are other aspects dealt with in this report.

 

 This is perhaps the first time that an attempt is made to codify a difficult and vague concept of delivering dignity in Elder care services.

 

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Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph 040-27846631 / 9490804278.