Strategies Used by Older Adults to Maintain or Restore Attributed Dignity

Dignity has been linked to the well-being of older adults. However, little is known about how older adults respond to perceived threats to their dignity. Nineteen community-dwelling older adults were interviewed regarding how they maintained their dignity. Grounded theory methods were used to identify (a) the characteristics of situations in which the dignity of older adults was threatened; (b) strategies used by older adults to defend their dignity; (c) variation in those strategies in relation to individual characteristics; and (d) similarities or differences among strategies used by community-dwelling and hospitalized older adults. Three types of strategies (i.e., introspective, interactive, and active) were identified. Although all individuals used all three types of strategies, each participant had a dominant style. Community-dwelling older adults exhibited greater breadth in their responses than their hospitalized counterparts. Understanding the strategies used by community-dwelling older adults with chronic health problems to maintain dignity may help health care providers develop interventions to protect the dignity of older adults.