Editor – In response to the letter in last week’s newspaper, entitled ‘What is dignity?’ (Page 10).
SEE IT HERE: What is dignity?
Can we enjoy our golden years with dignity?
I am grateful to “#justsaying” for reminding us, firstly, that people’s understanding of the word ‘dignity’ differs. Clause 10 of the Bill of Rights reads as follows:
Human dignity – Everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected.
I quote Professor Donna Hicks:
“The most common response people offer is that dignity is about respect. To the contrary, dignity is not the same as respect. Dignity is our inherent value and worth as human beings; everyone is born with it. Respect, on the other hand, is earned through one’s actions. After people learn about dignity, a remarkable thing happens. Everyone recognises that we all have a deep, human desire to be treated as something of value.”
Secondly, that people entering a Home do definitely not “relinquish themselves to the rules and care of others”.
We enter the Home for assistance with our circumstances, whether they are for financial, health or abandonment reasons. Agreed, some compromises would need to be made, but a compromise is not a rule.
You would do well to remember that our lives can change in an instant: we may be “sitting pretty” now, but where will we be tomorrow? Do we want control of our lives in the hands of others or in our own as much as possible?
I recommend that readers read both the Older Persons Act and the Bill of Rights of our Constitution, and they will understand the protection that older persons have under law.
Swimming upstream is not futile, and even “bears” will eventually succumb.
Chris Branken
READ MORE: More revelations at Shepstone Place action meeting
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