Dignity and Respect

Dignity is a core right in aged care. It includes respecting the older person’s autonomy, choices, preferences, and privacy alongside their personal history and identity. Supporting a person’s dignity in aged care can often mean finding a balance between encouraging independence and maintaining personal safety, especially for people with dementia.

Read the supporting evidence

What I can do

Supporting dignity and respect in aged care starts with small, everyday actions. To show genuine respect during each interaction:

Introduce yourself, explain your role, and use the person’s preferred name
Actively listen without distractions and use respectful language
Maintain privacy by closing doors, using screens, and limiting staff presence during personal care.

Foster dignity by involving the person in all care decisions. You can do this by:

Using the Patient Dignity Question which asks ‘What do I need to know about you as a person to give you the best care possible?’
Encouraging independence by involving older people in daily choices and respecting their right to take informed risks
Applying The Patient Dignity Inventory to identify and address dignity-related distress.

Social connections are important for dignity and emotional wellbeing. You can help by:

Encouraging older people, their friends, family, and community to interact and share time together
Regularly checking in with the person to understand their emotional and social needs
Providing families with reassurance and guidance about how dignity is supported in care.

What I can learn

Watch the video How does culture impact care (3 mins) to learn how your own cultural background could be influencing how you provide care. From the palliAGED Education on the Run series.

How does culture impact on care

You can also read:

Standard 1: The Individual
The short blog What is dignity of risk in aged care?
Maintaining dignity – an ARIIA evidence summary that describes how newer technologies might threaten dignity and privacy in aged care settings.

Complete these online modules to learn about the specific needs of people from diverse backgrounds:

Culturally responsive support in aged care by SSI Group (Payment required)
Introduction to Cultural Awareness in Aged Care from Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland (ECCQ) (Free: Registration required)
Trauma training on the impacts of childhood trauma for people now entering aged care. Developed by Helping Hand.

Helping Hand.

What I can give

If an older person, their family or carer would like to know more about their rights or dignity of risk, these resources from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission may help:

What I can suggest

Clear policies may support staff to consistently uphold dignity and respect across all care interactions. To help embed these concepts into the care culture, consider:

Assessing all organisational policies against Standard 1: The Person to see if they have dignity, autonomy, and person-centred care at their core
Ensuring all team members can describe the meaning and importance of dignity and respect in aged care
Implementing structured feedback systems to evaluate dignity in care from older people and families.

Older people have the right to make choices, even if they involve some level of risk. To promote dignity and autonomy, work as a team to:

Recognise that older people have the right to take risks to maintain their independence and quality of life
Develop risk assessments that balance safety with respect for personal choices and decision-making
Promote resources that explain specific risks such as the Food and drink in your aged care – supporting informed choice and risk – staff poster.

To ensure care planning respects personal values, preferences, and identity throughout ageing and end of life, the organisation can:

Standardise the use of advance care planning to ensure personal choices are respected
Facilitate goals-of-care discussions that align with older people’s values and wishes
Encourage approaches that respect personal identity, such as personalised routines and reminiscence activities.