{"title":"Role of nurses in supporting advance care planning for people living with dementia.","authors":"Susan Holland, Morna Miller, Mary-Anne Sheeran","doi":"10.7748/nop.2025.e1521","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7748/nop.2025.e1521","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dementia is a life-limiting condition and a leading cause of death in the UK and globally. Advance care planning (ACP) is of particular relevance to people living with dementia due to the gradual loss of decision-making capacity and ability to communicate that they typically experience. However, many people living with dementia are not given the opportunity to undertake ACP. As a consequence, their end of life care needs often remain unmet. As part of the multidisciplinary team, nurses are well placed to engage people living with dementia and those close to them in timely ACP conversations so that the person's future care aligns with their expressed values, wishes and preferences. Collaborative healthcare services that normalise ACP as part of routine dementia care and provide staff with ACP training and mentoring are essential for supporting nurses to undertake ACP with people living with dementia and their families.</p>","PeriodicalId":94162,"journal":{"name":"Nursing older people","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145194209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nursing older peoplePub Date : 2025-09-29Epub Date: 2025-05-14DOI: 10.7748/nop.2025.e1509
Zena Aldridge
{"title":"How to identify an older person who may have depression.","authors":"Zena Aldridge","doi":"10.7748/nop.2025.e1509","DOIUrl":"10.7748/nop.2025.e1509","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Rationale and key points: </strong>Depression is the most common mental health condition in older age but often goes undetected and untreated, which can negatively affect health, well-being and quality of life. This article highlights how nurses can improve the identification of depression in older people, including by being aware of risk factors and signs and symptoms; by using proactive questioning and an individualised approach; and by encouraging older people who may have depression to discuss their mental health as part of a person-centred assessment. •Older people are highly susceptible to many of the physical and psychosocial risk factors associated with depression. •In older people, symptoms of depression can be wrongly attributed to dementia or considered a normal part of ageing. •Older people with depression may not recognise it or be reluctant to discuss it for fear of being stigmatised. •Improving the identification of depression in older people requires challenging assumptions about their mental health. REFLECTIVE ACTIVITY: 'How to' articles can help to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of: •How this article might improve your practice when identifying an older person who may have depression. •How you could use this information to educate nursing students or colleagues about identifying an older person who may have depression.</p>","PeriodicalId":94162,"journal":{"name":"Nursing older people","volume":" ","pages":"30-33"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144060032","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nursing older peoplePub Date : 2025-09-29Epub Date: 2025-06-11DOI: 10.7748/nop.2025.e1507
Jane Pritchard, Roxanne Vieira-Moreno
{"title":"Nursing people with dementia: an overview of ethical dilemmas and how to navigate them.","authors":"Jane Pritchard, Roxanne Vieira-Moreno","doi":"10.7748/nop.2025.e1507","DOIUrl":"10.7748/nop.2025.e1507","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dementia affects cognition and therefore often results in people lacking mental capacity to make decisions about their treatment and care, resulting in decisions being made on their behalf. On such occasions, there may be differences of opinion between healthcare professionals and families, or between professionals themselves, about what constitutes the person's best interests. This is particularly the case in complex situations where the principles of biomedical ethics conflict with one another and there are no obvious 'right' or 'wrong' answers. This article outlines ethical principles in healthcare, discusses best interests decision-making and describes the so-called balance sheet approach. It also examines in more detail some ethical dilemmas commonly encountered in nursing practice when caring for people with dementia.</p>","PeriodicalId":94162,"journal":{"name":"Nursing older people","volume":" ","pages":"24-29"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144268293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How to support family carers of people with dementia living in care homes.","authors":"Sue Jones, Narcisa Ciubotaru","doi":"10.7748/nop.2025.e1520","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7748/nop.2025.e1520","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Rationale and key points: </strong>Moving into a care home is a major life event, and for people with dementia and their families it can be particularly stressful and challenging. This article outlines how nurses working in care homes can support family carers of residents with dementia during the transition into the care home and throughout the person's stay. • Family carers may experience feelings of loss, guilt and loneliness when they relinquish care. They have their own information and support needs, separate from those of the person with dementia. • A positive relationship between the family carer and the new care provider can improve outcomes for the resident, the family carer and care home staff. • Family carers feel less anxious when the responsibility of caring for the person with dementia is shared between themselves and care home staff and when they have confidence in staff. REFLECTIVE ACTIVITY: 'How to' articles can help to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of: • How this article might improve your practice when supporting the family carers of care home residents with dementia in the transition phase and throughout the person's stay at the care home. • How you could use this information to educate nursing students or colleagues on supporting family carers of care home residents with dementia.</p>","PeriodicalId":94162,"journal":{"name":"Nursing older people","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145031676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How to support family carers with providing personal care for people with dementia.","authors":"Louise Carter, Faith Frost, Dawn Brooker","doi":"10.7748/nop.2025.e1515","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7748/nop.2025.e1515","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Rationale and key points: </strong>Family carers have a vital role in supporting people with dementia, often taking on significant responsibilities in relation to personal care. The physical, emotional and financial effects on family carers are considerable, and the challenges associated with providing personal care often precipitate admission to a care home or hospital. This article outlines the procedure for undertaking a holistic person-centred assessment of a person with dementia and their family carer, then developing a plan of care for them. It also explains how nurses can use a series of resources that have been designed to support family carers with providing personal care for people with dementia. • Nurses have a crucial role in providing, leading and coordinating care that is compassionate, evidence-based and person-centred. Therefore, they should have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide support for family carers. • Nurses should explore the experiences of family carers as part of a holistic person-centred assessment, to help identify actual and potential challenges. • Many family carers find it challenging to access appropriate services and feel unheard by professionals. Nurses need to ensure that information, services and multidisciplinary team support are accessible and responsive to family carers' needs. REFLECTIVE ACTIVITY: 'How to' articles can help to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of: • How this article might improve your practice when supporting family carers of people with dementia, and how you could adapt your current approach to better meet their needs. • How you could use this information to educate nursing students or your colleagues about the needs of family carers.</p>","PeriodicalId":94162,"journal":{"name":"Nursing older people","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144984484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Challenges of assessing pain in people with dementia: a systematised literature review.","authors":"Samantha Joyce Bonser","doi":"10.7748/nop.2025.e1518","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7748/nop.2025.e1518","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This systematised literature review explored the challenges faced by healthcare professionals when assessing pain in people with dementia. A comprehensive search of six databases for qualitative studies published between 2018 and 2023, followed by a rigorous study selection, enabled the author to identify six relevant studies. The main challenges identified included communication issues arising from cognitive impairment; difficulties stemming from a lack of experience in dementia care and lack of familiarity with individual patients; and limited awareness and inconsistent use of pain assessment tools. Addressing these barriers through enhanced education and training, clear guidelines and a strengthened commitment to person-centred care is crucial for improving the accuracy of pain assessments in people with dementia and therefore enhancing quality of life in this vulnerable population group.</p>","PeriodicalId":94162,"journal":{"name":"Nursing older people","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144984499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"What is health promotion and how can it be used for older people?: Health promotion covers a range of initiatives to enhance and protect health, with nursing staff playing a key role in providing support.","authors":"Joanne Marshall","doi":"10.7748/nop.37.4.18.s10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7748/nop.37.4.18.s10","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Health promotion enables people to increase control over their own health. It encompasses a broad spectrum of social and environmental initiatives aimed at enhancing and protecting individuals' health and quality of life ( World Health Organization 2016 ).</p>","PeriodicalId":94162,"journal":{"name":"Nursing older people","volume":"37 4","pages":"18-19"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144777470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nursing older peoplePub Date : 2025-08-04Epub Date: 2025-02-26DOI: 10.7748/nop.2025.e1500
Gulen Addis, Donna Evans
{"title":"Nurses' experiences of providing dementia care in acute hospital settings.","authors":"Gulen Addis, Donna Evans","doi":"10.7748/nop.2025.e1500","DOIUrl":"10.7748/nop.2025.e1500","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Increasing numbers of older people admitted to acute hospitals have dementia. For nurses, providing dementia care in acute settings involves unique challenges such as ensuring staff and patient safety and managing the stress caused by insufficient resources.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To explore nurses' experiences and challenges when caring for patients with dementia in an acute general hospital setting.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>This study used a qualitative approach and semi-structured interviews to explore participants' experiences of caring for patients with dementia. All permanent nurses working in three acute medical wards in one NHS trust ( n =120) received an email inviting them to take part. Eight nurses volunteered to be interviewed.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Three main themes were extrapolated from the thematic analysis of interview data: attributes of dementia care; planning care effectively; and staff education and training needs. Participants emphasised the importance of person-centred care and the challenges involved in providing such care due to staff shortages, which could result in frustration, exhaustion and stress for both staff and patients.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Nurses in acute care settings need additional education and training to improve their knowledge and skills in relation to dementia care. The involvement of families is important for the optimal care of patients with dementia on acute hospital wards.</p>","PeriodicalId":94162,"journal":{"name":"Nursing older people","volume":" ","pages":"27-33"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143506714","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nursing older peoplePub Date : 2025-08-04Epub Date: 2025-05-29DOI: 10.7748/nop.2025.e1505
Joanne Holland, Rachel Watkins-Webb
{"title":"Exploring the concept of a 'long lie' after a fall to inform clinical pathways in pre-hospital services: a systematic literature review.","authors":"Joanne Holland, Rachel Watkins-Webb","doi":"10.7748/nop.2025.e1505","DOIUrl":"10.7748/nop.2025.e1505","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The term 'long lie' is often used clinically to describe a situation where an individual has had a fall and has remained on the floor. However, there is no universal definition of what constitutes a long lie or recognition of the effect it can have on physical or psychological well-being. In August 2024, the authors undertook a comprehensive literature review on the subject. A search of articles published in English from the past 45 years which refer to adults over the age of 18 years who had a fall and a long lie, identified six articles. The outcome of the review demonstrates that there is a lack of primary literature that clearly defines a long lie. Nevertheless, ambulance and community first responders are encouraged to convey to hospital patients who have been on the floor for one hour or more, directly contradicting national health agendas that promote the delivery of acute care closer to home.</p>","PeriodicalId":94162,"journal":{"name":"Nursing older people","volume":" ","pages":"20-26"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144176377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nursing older peoplePub Date : 2025-08-04Epub Date: 2025-06-26DOI: 10.7748/nop.2025.e1517
Bob Price
{"title":"Exploring the care work and personal need narratives of older carers.","authors":"Bob Price","doi":"10.7748/nop.2025.e1517","DOIUrl":"10.7748/nop.2025.e1517","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Increasingly, older adults are undertaking carer roles to support other older people. They are doing this within the confusing world of healthcare consumerism, with different agencies providing different services and with variations in services across the UK. Understanding of the care work and needs of older carers is incomplete in relation to what they provide and what they believe they should seek help with. Therefore, it is important that nurses help older carers to narrate their care work and personal needs as part of an assessment of the self-care resources within the home. By doing so, nurses can better understand what support they might offer themselves and what assistance might be sought from other agencies. In this article, the author discusses the concepts of care agency and older carer narratives and describes how nurses might approach narrative enquiry by adopting the same principles used to develop person-centred care relationships.</p>","PeriodicalId":94162,"journal":{"name":"Nursing older people","volume":" ","pages":"34-41"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144499937","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}