Fostering Dignity and Respect Assignment: Using Ethical Concepts and Strategies to Enhance Care

Learning Outcomes

As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a Fostering Dignity and Respect assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing the module you should be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical and moral concepts pertaining to freedom, rights, responsibilities, and the use of power in care.
2. Discuss effective communication and interpersonal skills including compassion, dignity, and respect.
3. Examine and reflect upon personally held values and the impact they might have on practice, individual learning, and own development
4. Identify strategies for enhancing dignity and respect accorded to people in a care setting.

Read through this case study and answer the questions that follow:
Martha Jayasekera is a 25-year-old young woman with cerebral palsy, who lives in her own flat. She uses a wheelchair and needs support with many activities of daily living. Her support needs include getting out of bed in the morning, washing, dressing and getting ready for the day and support with getting into bed in the evening.
Martha Jayasekera enjoys going out with friends and working part time, as a counsellor for young adults with physical disabilities in a local community support centre. The home care organisation who delivers her service are requested to come and support her to go to bed at 10 p.m. but the carers frequently arrive at 7p.m. to perform this service and have continued to do this despite Martha’s complaints. When asked why this happens the care service says a lot of the staff do not wish to work such late hours and feel unsafe in the area around Martha’s flat.
Using the case study above, answer the following questions:
Question 1
What are the ethical concepts such as those pertaining to freedom, rights, responsibilities and the use of power in care which apply to this situation and what kind of strategies could the staff employ to support and respect Martha Jayasekera’s dignity?
Consider how the staff can maintain effective communication and use their interpersonal skills including compassion, dignity, and respect to deliver the best care
possible to Martha Jayasekera.

Question 2
In a reflective account, explain how this case study has contributed to your own learning, self-development and practice in understanding dignity and respect.