Well I think by dignity we mean the values that somebody holds, their values about themselves about
their own you know human rights really and we need to respect those, so adhere to their values
not impose our own on them and that's something throughout all our work and of course at
the Red Cross we work with people from many different cultures, many different religions.
I think it's really important to incorporate other people's values into our systems.
For example, with people who may have different religions, to respect their need for prayer for instance at a certain time.
People of different age groups, the elderly might be unable to walk so quickly or move so quickly
or they may take things at a slower pace, one has to respect all those things to keep their dignity.
If we're dealing with people in crisis at the British Red Cross,
dignity and respect are particularly important because people at times of crisis are very vulnerable.
People may have lost their belongings and they may have lost their homes, they may have
lost loved ones, they may be away from all sorts of different supports that they have in their
normal lives and so it's particularly important to try and understand that.
Some of the things to keep in mind about dignity and respect are that each person has a unique and diverse identity
which is influenced by different physical, cultural and social factors
so valuing an individual's unique identity is at the heart of protecting their dignity.
Privacy helps us to feel safe and maintain dignity and people have the right
to keep aspects of their lives to themselves
and communication is very important and an integral part of supporting people
so we may choose to use interpreters and certainly with people who we're unable to communicate with
that's extremely important and people have preferred means of communicating so we find this out
through observation and by asking them. People also usually feel reassured by knowing what's
happening and getting updates, even if there's no information I think we've all probably been
in situations like that where we'd like an update. Supporting independence and autonomy is
also very important, people are in very dependent situations in crisis, dependent on
others for the support and the others are often us. The respect involves ensuring that they have
choice and control over how their needs wishes and preferences are met and that they remain
independent and autonomous in areas where they can. So, some do's and don'ts in these situations.
Do consider how a crisis situation may have already affected someone's dignity.
Do work with the person, respect the individual as a person
with their own experience, knowledge and expertise about their lives.
Do remember that each person is different and may have different views about dignity and respect
Listen to what is most important for people regarding the support available.
Do communicate respectfully, this may include finding out about people's preferences
for example, how do they like to be addressed, what barriers are there to communication.
Do share information about what you're doing and what is happening.
Do discuss good practice relating to dignity and respect with your colleagues.
Do not make assumptions about how people are feeling or how they like to be treated.
Don't use urgency or workload as a reason for not showing respect.
Don't forget to involve people in the support being provided.
Do not miss opportunities for learning by dismissing awkward situations where someone may not have felt respected.
And finally do not overlook the importance of dignity and respect in the workplace
and for you as a staff member or volunteer.