WWYD Dignity or Distress?

admin 30/06/26 Dignity Champions forum

WWYD Dignity or Distress?
A resident always insists on washing and dressing themselves. It takes over an hour, they often need prompting, and sometimes they put their clothes on inside out or forget to wash properly.
On busy mornings, staff quietly step in and complete the task for them in 15 minutes. The resident doesn’t object, but afterwards says,
“I feel like I can’t do anything for myself anymore.”
Some staff argue,
“We’re keeping them clean, safe and on schedule.”
Others say,
“We’ve met their physical needs but taken away their dignity.”
WWYD
When time is limited, is dignity about achieving the task… or preserving the person’s independence, even if it takes much longer? At what point does efficiency become undignified?