This paper explores how dignity is articulated and pursued by care workers in two currently prominent policy initiatives seeking to reform Danish care services for older people. Based on ethnographic case studies of ‘reablement’ practices and the use of ‘welfare technologies’, the paper shows how these attempts to create dignified care services transform interactions between care recipients and care workers. The analysis is inspired by a socio-material perspective on dignity as ‘crafted’ and ‘co-laboured’ in daily practices, in an interplay between multiple human and non-human actors. In the cases studied, dignity is articulated as closely related to older people's increasing autonomy and independence of formal care, and is pursued through enhancing care recipients’ self-care ability, and through technological automation of care tasks. However, these articulations and pursuits of dignity do not stand alone. When everyday care practices are closely examined, dignity is also pursued by care workers as increased co-operation and equality between care workers and care recipients, as de-objectification, and as promotion of enjoyment and quality of life. In these practices, care is ambivalently positioned as both a potential threat to dignity, and as a prerequisite to achieving it. The paper concludes by discussing the risks of policy agendas pursuing a narrow understanding of dignity as simply independence of care.

本文探讨了在旨在改革丹麦老年人护理服务的两项当前突出的政策举措中，护理人员如何表达和追求尊严。基于“reablement”实践的民族志案例研究和“福利技术”的使用，本文展示了这些创建有尊严的护理服务的尝试如何改变护理对象和护理人员之间的互动。该分析的灵感来自社会物质观点，即在日常实践中，在多个人类和非人类行为者之间的相互作用中，尊严是“精心打造”和“共同劳动”的。在所研究的案例中，尊严被表述为与老年人日益增加的自主性和正式护理的独立性密切相关，并通过提高护理对象的自我护理能力和护理任务的技术自动化来实现。然而，这些对尊严的表达和追求并不是孤立的。当仔细检查日常护理实践时，护理人员也追求尊严，因为护理人员和护理对象之间增加了合作和平等，作为去客体化，以及作为享受和生活质量的提升。在这些实践中，关怀被矛盾地定位为对尊严的潜在威胁和实现尊严的先决条件。本文最后讨论了将尊严狭隘地理解为仅是照料独立性的政策议程的风险。并促进享受和生活质量。在这些实践中，关怀被矛盾地定位为对尊严的潜在威胁和实现尊严的先决条件。本文最后讨论了将尊严狭隘地理解为仅是照料独立性的政策议程的风险。并促进享受和生活质量。在这些实践中，关怀被矛盾地定位为对尊严的潜在威胁和实现尊严的先决条件。本文最后讨论了将尊严狭隘地理解为仅是照料独立性的政策议程的风险。