Aged Care as this significantly impacts on the patient’s perception of hospitalisation. Positive attention and focus from the staff can improve the patient’s experience. It has been shown that there is a direct correlation between nurse stress and patient disruptive behaviours (Lippa 2010). Patients cared for by less stressed nurses have fewer incidents of disruptive behaviour; however nurses who have been the victims of violent behaviour from patients can show a high incidence of stress (Edvardsson et al 2012). Emotional withdrawal and ‘depersonalisation’ of the patients are common coping strategies in this situation.
Eriksson C, Saveman B-I. Nurses’ experiences of abusive/non-abusive caring for demented patients in acute care settings. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences. 2002;16(1):79-85.
People with dementia can have attributes which make a connection with other people difficult as they may have trouble communicating and understanding the needs of others, and may be uneasy in the presence of unfamiliar people (Eriksson, Saveman 2002). It is sometimes evident that nurses don’t believe that patients with dementia
Robin Digby, Associate Professor Allison Williams and Dr Susan Lee are all in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Monash University, Peninsula Campus in Melbourne
“It is important to recognise that all patients including those with dementia have their own life story and range of individual needs, as this significantly impacts on the patient’s perception of hospitalisation.” have the capacity to engage in personal interactions and therefore focus on physical tasks. Protests from the patients are then seen as ‘behaviours of concern’ (Marshall 2001). This type of dehumanising behaviour has been termed ‘malignant social psychology’ (Kitwood 1997) and is often displayed by nurses who believe that the behavioural symptoms of dementia are deliberate and in control of the individual rather than a symptom of the condition or a demonstration of unmet need. Education to increase understanding of dementia and opportunities for reflective practice enable nurses to see behaviour objectively and maintain an empathetic approach in the face of challenging behaviour (Cunico et al 2012).
References
Cunico L, Sartori R, Marognolli O, Meneghini A. Developing empathy in nursing students: A cohort longitudinal study. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2012;21:2016-25. Edvardsson D, Sandman P-O, Rasmussen B. Forecasting the ward climate: a study from a dementia care unit. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2012;21(7-8):1136-114.
Kitwood T. Dementia reconsidered: The person comes first. Buckingham: Open University Press; 1997. Lippa CF. Review of issue: The impact of time of day, mood, and caregiver stress on function in patients with dementia. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias. 2010;25(6):475-6. Marshall M. The challenge of looking after people with dementia. British Medical Journal. 2001;323(7310):410-1. WHO. Dementia A Public Health Priority. In: International AsD, editor. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2012. p.1-102.
Online tool gives access to residential aged care research By Roma Dicker and Sarah Hayman There is increasing pressure on nurses in all areas to find and use evidence to support the best nursing practice and this is true in residential aged care as in all other fields. However reliable evidence for aged care can be very difficult to access quickly. To assist all those working in residential aged care, CareSearch has provided free online tools to ensure that all those caring for older Australians in residential aged care can have reliable and easy access to the latest research information, about both residential aged care and dementia in residential aged care. The tools can be found on the CareSearch website as part of the RACHub service at: www.caresearch.com.au/caresearch/ tabid/2256/Default.aspx. One challenge for searching is the huge amount of information that is available online and steadily increasing. Articles on residential aged care are added to PubMed at a rapidly growing rate (results obtained using the Residential Aged Care Search Filter show that over 1,800 items were added in 2012. Already since October 2013, over 2,000 have been added). A second challenge is the difficulty of knowing where to look and which search terms will retrieve useful information. Busy clinicians do not have time to spend creating complex search strategies, and may not have much experience in constructing effective searches. CareSearch has created the tools using a search filter to target residential aged care information in the PubMed database. The service is free to use and gives easy one-click access to current information PAGE 41 February 2014 Volume 21, No. 7.