Clarifying the Concept of Human Dignity in the Care of the Elderly: A Dialogue between Empirical and Philosophical Approaches

The need for dignity is frequently mentioned in policy documents relating to the care of the elderly. It is also described as an important value in professional codes. Yet concerns about the standards of care for an important number of elderly people abound, despite global ageing being a challenging phenomenon. Not least among these is how to ensure that the elderly will be able to live out their days with dignity. In the present paper, we begin with an empirical exploration of the meaning of human dignity as experienced by older Europeans and their professional caregivers. Thereafter, we discuss the meaning and relevance of these empirical research findings from a care ethics perspective.