What is dignity of risk, and how can it be valuable in rehabilitation? On With Life experts Alison Whitaker and Taylor Albaugh define the concept and talk through how the team at On With Life incorporates it into care plans.
What is dignity of risk?
Dignity of risk is the concept of respecting the decisions individuals make regarding the risks they are willing to take. Having the opportunity to try something, and possibly fail, can be valuable in
achieving end goals and maximizing independence.
Why does this concept play an important role in rehabilitation?
Maximizing safety can come at the expense of maximizing rehabilitation potential. We don’t want
to be so focused on the possibility of failure that we never give our persons served the opportunity
to try the things that are important to them. People are free to take risks in their own lives whether or not they have a neurological condition – the risk of failure is part of being human. We believe the rehabilitation setting should be no different.
What does implementing this concept at On With Life look like?
Dignity of risk can be implemented in several ways. Ultimately, we want to collaborate with the person served and their support system to understand what their rehabilitation goals are and then help them get there. If someone has a goal that seems too “risky,” such as rock climbing or returning to work, we often find ways to help them work toward that goal in a gradual fashion that prevents them from undertaking too much risk at any given point.
Another way we can implement dignity of risk is by preventing or reducing physical restraints
(such as lap restraints or enclosed beds) in a person served’s environment. We work with them to find alternative methods of seeking assistance. We also support persons served and their caregivers in assessing risk by providing education on how their injury may affect performance in real-world scenarios, as some risks (e.g. driving) may simply be too great to undertake.
How does this concept align with On With Life's mission and values?
Dignity of risk strongly aligns with our person-centered approach. By recognizing the importance of our persons served autonomy, we can work together as partners in reaching their rehabilitation goals rather than telling them what they ‘can’ and ‘can’t’ do.