Living in a nursing home involves an everyday life marked by losses and an ongoing awareness of death and dying. At the same time, older adults actively strive to maintain their identity, personal dignity and meaningful relationships. Supporting resident dignity and identity is essential to providing meaningful, person-centered care. Therefore, staff must make time for regular conversations about each resident’s life and concerns. They should also encourage activities that help residents maintain their sense of self.

A recent study published in the International Journal of Older People Nursing highlights the importance of recognizing and supporting each resident’s personal identity in everyday care and activities. Supporting dignity requires flexibility in routines and daily opportunities for conversation and shared activities. Additionally, staff should actively engage with residents to build meaningful, ongoing relationships.

To maintain dignity, staff must see each person as unique and involve them in decisions that support autonomy. This requires ethical awareness, communication, cooperation and tolerance. After all, maintaining a sense of identity is an important part of feeling valued and respected.

Leadership is also a huge component in this process. Leaders must set the example by taking time to talk with residents and families. They should also ask hard questions about care and satisfaction levels. Furthermore, policies should explicitly recognize dignity and identity as core values. Organizations must provide the time, staffing and conditions needed to support relational and person-centered care.

Education and staff training should also include structured reflection on identity, dignity and aging. As reported by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, residents continue to value their personal identity, dignity and meaningful relationships even as they reflect on death and dying.

As an aside, dignity and resident rights are frequently cited during annual and complaint surveys. Take a look at your survey outcomes. You may be surprised at how often what seemed like a minor issue turned into a citation. Ultimately, supporting resident dignity and identity requires attention to the little things we do every day.

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