Experiences with dignity among older people confined to beds living in a nursing home: A qualitative descriptive study

AIM: The aim of this study is to explore the concept of dignity from the experience of older people with limited mobility and confined to beds while living in a nursing home. BACKGROUND: Nursing staff have an important impact on the dignity of those older people confined to beds in nursing homes. Individuals' uniqueness with respecting dignity should be ensured. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted. The study was carried out with 19 older people who were immobile and confined to bed and living in nursing homes. The individual in‐depth interviews were conducted between July and October 2021. Inductive thematic analysis was used to synthesize data. RESULTS: The main theme ‘Dignity of older people confined to bed’ emerged from subthemes ‘Emotions’, ‘Lived experience’ and ‘Failure to maintain care’. The participants expressed their dissatisfaction towards the nursing staff's disrespectful care, which evoked feelings of insignificance and inferiority. CONCLUSION: Undignified and disrespectful nursing care can cause feelings of suffering, sadness and anger in older people confined to their beds. Nurses must listen to this group of older people and learn from their experiences. Compassionate, person‐centred care with kindness and empathy should be provided by all those providing and receiving care in nursing homes. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: To provide dignified care, nursing staff must understand the importance of person‐centred, individually oriented nursing care for older people living with immobility in nursing homes.