Community and Vulnerability - Dignity and Common Good - Older and Vulnerable Patients - Assessment Answer

Community and Vulnerability Assignment

Assignment Task

Dignity and Common Good for Older and Vulnerable Patients

Introduction

Taking a critical look at nursing as a profession; the career suffers from poor leadership and lack of interpersonal skills. The nurses are predisposed to inflexible schedules and inconsiderate conditions. As a result, they offer poor services which affect the common good and dignity of a person. The process of communication, staffing and management of workload is poorly controlled and coordinated (Mokhtari-Nouri, et al., 2016). In many instances, individuals complain about lack of concern and the use of derogatory languages from the nurses. It is common to walk in a random hospital and find patients complaining of neglects. In this regard, my attention focuses on respect for human dignity and the common good in nursing profession towards the old and the vulnerable. Common good and respect for human dignity can be categorized into the following themes; the environment of care; staff behaviour and attitude, the culture of care and specific care activities.

Dignity and Common good in respect to Older and Vulnerable

In many instances, the vulnerable and the older patients are exposed in unfair environmental conditions. In fact, a number of medical facilities do not cater for the security and privacy of the vulnerable and old patients. It is against human dignity and respect for common goods to be admitted in same ward irrespective of gender. The old and the vulnerable are socially oppressed in terms of sense of purpose and stimulation, access to lavatory and privacy of care (Mokhtari-Nouri, et al., 2016). It is very disturbing to attend to the patients in a shabby accommodation, mixed sex wards, insufficient bathrooms and toilets, no privacy during examination, and large gaps in the segmenting curtains. Such practices are against the nursing code of conducts and they lead to humiliation and violation of individual worthiness and space. For instance, in the United Kingdom nurses code of conduct requires them to treat patients with concern and in respect to personal dignity (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2010). In many instances the behavior and attitude of the nurses towards the vulnerable and the old is demeaning. It is common to find patients complaining of nurses being patronizing, impatience, intolerance, and lack of respect. Some nurses also prefer the use of endearment phrases like darling and sweetheart which appears patronizing, demeaning and inappropriate. It is the right and for the common good of the old and vulnerable patients to be treated with kindness, empathy, and the use a professional language (Lee, et. al., 2010). The elderly and the vulnerable are human beings who demand dignity and common good. The violation of the common good and dignity results to lack of self-worth, loss of self-respect and low self-esteem(Lee, et. al., 2010). The culture of care in the context of healthcare is the shared values and beliefs that define the nature of care. In nursing such practices are named ward philosophy. The old and the vulnerable patients are exposed to situations that threatens their confidentiality in regard to their cultural believes. Such patients are denied the opportunities such as giving consent, expressing autonomy, and making decisions regarding their care. The rational and autonomous older patients need to maintain their self-identity and respect that is violated in regard to dignity of identity. Dignity of care is also challenged when the older and vulnerable patients are limited due to unstable staffing arrangements; need to discharge patiently often, under looking the needs of the patients in comparison to the institution objectives, performance targets and budgetary constraints.

Conclusion

In conclusion, nursing is a profession where human dignity and the common good is often challenged. It is more evident towards the care of the elderly and the vulnerable patients. The patients are exposed to environment care, the culture of care, and social care that challenge their dignity and self-worth. It is not fair to undermine the privacy and the security of patients based on their age and vulnerability. It is disturbing to visit some medical wards and see the old and vulnerable exposed to unfair conditions. The verdict is that they are human beings needing care, protection, and self-worth. They subscribe to the human rights for respect of dignity and for the common goods just like a normal person.