Warrington care homes celebrate Dignity Action Day
Two Warrington care homes run by Croftwood Care Cheshire, Holcroft Grange and Westy Hall, have thrown special events to celebrate Dignity Action Day, an annual awareness day for care workers and members of the public to celebrate and uphold the dignity of those who use care services.
Staff at Holcroft Grange invited local schoolchildren from St. Lewis Catholic Primary School to join the home’s celebration. To mark the special day, pupils presented residents with a handmade ‘Digni-tree’, decorated with paper leaves that held messages of what dignity meant to the schoolchildren.
After the presentation, residents wrote down their own definitions of dignity before reading them to the schoolchildren and placing them on the ‘Digni-tree’. Once the two generations had shared what dignity meant to them, the event drew to a close with moving poetry readings from Holcroft Grange residents.
Messages on the ‘Digni-tree’ included ‘dignity means being treated with the respect we deserve as human beings’, ‘dignity has to work both ways with respect’, and ‘I want to be treated well and with dignity. I want to be treated like I matter. I want to be given the chance to talk and for others to listen to me’.
Shirley Paton, Home Manager at Holcroft Grange, commented: “Everyone at Holcroft Grange really enjoyed welcoming the pupils from St. Lewis into our home, and we’d like to thank them for sharing their lovely messages with us. The number of similarities in what dignity meant to both age groups demonstrates that the definition of dignity as being shown respect and given choice transcends generations.”
Westy Hall hosted its own ‘Digni-tea’ event with a special Dignity Action Day Tea Dance. Volunteers from a local community centre were invited to perform a number of dance routines as part of the occasion, wowing residents with their waltzing sequences and encouraging them to dance along.
In traditional tea dance fashion, residents also enjoyed a scrumptious afternoon tea, complete with cakes, scones and sandwiches.
Katya Lyon, Home Manager at Westy Hall, commented: “Our ‘Digni-tea’ event was a great success with our residents, who really enjoyed the dancing performances and elegant afternoon tea. We wanted to make Dignity Action Day a fun and memorable day for our residents, and I’d like to say a big thank you to the volunteers from St Margaret’s Community Centre for helping us achieve that goal.”
Dignity Action Day aims to ensure people who use care services are treated as individuals and are given choice, control and a sense of purpose in their daily lives. Dignity Action Day is supported by the National Dignity Council, an organisation that aims to enable a positive care experience through dignity and respect.
