Registered Nurses Providing Dignity: Caring for Older Persons Living in Residential Care

Older persons comprise an intricate component of society and, managing their care needs in a manner that demonstrates dignity, is an important element of nursing care. This qualitative study interviewed 11 registered nurses working in a residential care facility, to explore how they provided dignity to older persons. Data analysis revealed three themes: 1) Supporting Dignity included the sub-themes; caring for the whole person, respecting, encouraging independence and being remembered, 2) Dignity Care incorporated; doing, value-giving care, building relationships and balancing and negotiating and, Structural Context for Dignity comprised; time, nurses' voice, physical setting and barriers created by policy/procedures. The findings demonstrated a unique linkage of self-identity and legacy to supporting dignity for older persons, the influence of structural contexts on nurses' ability to provide dignity care to older persons in residential care and, an association to respect.