Being Dignified: The Lived Experience of Elderly Chinese Residents in a Private Nursing Home in Hong Kong

Abstract

The concept of dignity is an essential value of nursing practice and its attributes frequently include control, respect and self-esteem. In Hong Kong, elderly people have negative impressions about living in private nursing homes because they perceive these attributes of dignity will be lost. This study aims to understand and gain a deeper insight of the lived experience of being dignified for elderly Chinese residents in a private nursing home in Hong Kong. This study employed an interpretative qualitative design. A purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit 14 nursing home residents to participate in this study. The data were collected through in-depth, unstructured face-to-face interviews. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and then analysed using van Manen's phenomenological method of qualitative research. Five themes that emerged from this study were: possessing inherent dignity, owning dignified-self perspectives, endeavouring to exercise dignity-conserving practices, receiving dignified care, and dwelling in a dignified home environment. Outcomes identified in this study showed the different ways dignity is conceptualised by the residents in the nursing home. The results enhance our understanding of dignity among residents in private nursing homes and can contribute to the development of strategies for providing dignified care in future.