Dignity counts when caring for older people
Older people feel that their health problems pose a challenge to their sense of independence, dignity and identity and sometimes the health care they are given makes things worse. According to research funded by UK Research Councils’ New Dynamics of Ageing programme (NDA), healthcare providers must avoid taking a ‘blanket view’ of how to help older people cope with the ageing process. The study carried out by Dr Liz Lloyd and her colleagues found that people were often surprised by the impact that illness and growing old had on their lives. Their sense of ‘self’ was affected by the