February 1st was Dignity Action Day, a chance to promote and uphold dignity, which is at the heart of all Blind Veterans UK’s interactions with veterans…
Dignity Action Day encourages health and social care workers, and members of the public, to uphold people’s rights to dignity and provide a truly memorable day for people who use care services.
At Blind Veterans UK maintaining dignity is an important part of care delivery and something they see as fundamental to how they work with blind veterans day-to-day.
Whether veterans are residents at the charity’s centres, taking training and respite, or being supported in their community, Blind Veterans UK ensure that they are empowered to live and die with dignity.
To this end they have worked closely with veterans to ensure that their right to dignity is upheld in every interaction shared with them. This covers everything from greeting people with their names when they enter centres, to giving them options about different activities to get involved in and supporting them to make decisions about their long-term care.
Will Thornton, Regional Manager at Blind Veterans UK, explains: “Discussions with our veterans showed that for them, dignity was about having choices. Choices about small things like how they take their tea, to much bigger things like how they would like to be cared for towards the end of their lives. We’re proud to uphold and support the right of our beneficiaries to these choices.”
This Dignity Action Day staff at the Llandudno centre wore red and took part in a bake sale to raise money for the centre’s dignity wardrobe, from which care staff can take clean items if a veteran comes in without a spare change of clothes. Sophie Flinders, Care Manager at the Llandudno centre, says:
“As a charity we have an ethos of person-centred care. Blind Veterans UK promotes offering choices, privacy and time to those we care for. We’re really proud of our involvement with Dignity Action Day and our ongoing commitment to ensuring the very best care for our blind veterans.”