Care of older people with dementia in an acute hospital setting
Intended for healthcare professionals
Art & Science Previous     Next

Care of older people with dementia in an acute hospital setting

Fiona Cowdell Research fellow, School of Health and Social Care, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth

Aim To investigate the experiences of patients and nursing staff in relation to the care delivered to, and received by, older people with dementia in an acute hospital setting.

Method An ethnographic approach was used. Data were collected thorough observation and interviews involving patients and nursing staff.

Findings Care for older people with dementia in acute hospital settings is not always satisfactory. Generally, people with dementia find the delivery of care and the experience of being in hospital distressing. Nurses strive to provide optimum care, but this is not always achievable. Sub-optimal care can be explained by considering the effect of empathy and Bourdieu’s theory of practice.

Conclusion There is a need to improve current practice when caring for older people with dementia. Approaches to education and practice development need to engage nurses in both cognitive and affective domains, so that nurses gain knowledge and an understanding of patients’ feelings and experiences.

Nursing Standard. 24, 23, 42-48. doi: 10.7748/ns2010.02.24.23.42.c7551

Correspondence

fcowell@bournemouth.ac.uk

Peer review

This article has been subject to double blind peer review

Want to read more?

RCNi-Plus
Already have access? Log in

or

3-month trial offer for £5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
  • Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
  • RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
  • NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
  • Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
  • A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe

Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now


Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more