In considering patient dignity as a caregiver, the patient dignity question encompasses the simplest yet most important aspect of enabling a patient to have agency in their own care. Dignity therapy and the Patient Dignity Inventory are more complex tools for addressing the specifics of patient dignity, but ultimately all of those details are accessory to one simple, open-ended question:

The question is simple, but the answers are widely variable and will look different for every patient depending on their physical and emotional needs as well as their lived experience. Some patients will have primarily physical needs and want to detail the specifics of the assistance and care they want from you. Others will have emotional needs unfulfilled, especially for older patients whose spouse has already passed on, or for those living far from their family. These patients will frequently look for companionship from their caregiver in addition to their physical needs.

Sometimes a patient doesn’t know what they need to tell you in response to this question. Many elderly people were self-sufficient for most of their lives, and have difficulty accepting aid, but won’t think to relay to a caregiver that their pride is important to them. Similarly, elders who have been used to having an active social life before their mobility decreased may not realize that additional companionship is necessary to prevent depression. When a patient is unable to fully communicate their needs when answering the patient dignity question, that’s when more advanced measures are generally deployed at the discretion of their caregiver.

Addressing patient dignity needs is sometimes easy and sometimes quite difficult, but it is always at the core of providing mindful, comprehensive elder care that addresses their needs of mind, body, and spirit.