When They Get It RightA Long-Term Care Ombudsman Story

This week, I visited a facility that had experienced three deaths in three days. That is a lot for any community.

I asked the director, “How do you let the other residents know when someone dies?”

She told me that about four months earlier, they had started something new.

They call it the Dignity Walk.

When a resident dies, they speak with the family and obtain permission to share the news. They also ask if they would like their loved one honored with a dignity walk.

If the family agrees, the resident leaves the building the same way they entered it.

Through the front doors.

They are not secretly taken out through a back door. They are not taken down a freight elevator. They exit through the same door they entered.

Anyone who wishes may participate: familymembers, friends, residents, nurses, aides, housekeepers, dietary staff, laundry workers, andadministrators.

Everyone stops what they are doing.

They come into the hallway and line the corridors.

They stand quietly with their feelings. And they honor the person as they leave the building for the last time.

Not in secret. They don’t just disappear.

As the administrator explained this to me, her voice broke. Tears filled her eyes.And then mine.

I asked her how it was going, how the residents felt about it.

She said not everyone chooses to participate. But most do. 

The people who clean rooms, wash clothes, deliver trays, fix beds, transport residents to doctor visits, and quietly take care of daily life.

They come out too.

Everyone is simply someone who knew this person.

Someone who cared.

Someone who is saying goodbye.

This is different.

This says:

You mattered here.

You were part of us.

You are not leaving unnoticed.

Three deaths in one week is a lot.

Instead of ignoring grief, this facility chose

to honor it

to witness it

to stand together in it

and to acknowledge a life.

In accordance with ombudsman confidentiality requirements, all identifying information in this account has been altered. This story is shared for educational and advocacy purposes only.